


Sweet Nothings

by LoneWulffe



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Humor, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 27,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23877814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneWulffe/pseuds/LoneWulffe
Summary: A collection of short Karamel prompt fics.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Mon-El
Comments: 304
Kudos: 205





	1. so much lazy sweetness

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I told myself I'd keep distractions from PiaD down to a minimum but then because of SOMEONE (glares at akane171) I've ended up down this road so I might as well commit to it on a grand scale in the name of fairness (to the extent of posting what I wrote here too). In other words, send me prompts and I'll see what I can cook up with it! It can be anything - a simple scenario, a sentence, even a song or a poem. However, I reserve the right to turn down any prompts/requests for my own reasons. You can drop off your prompt at my Tumblr account raisedbyfandomwolves; I've allowed anon asks so those of you without a Tumblr account of your own (or want to keep it secret) can do it too. Just remember to leave a name as well so I can "credit" you for the prompt.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: akane171
> 
> Prompt: "kissing on the couch"
> 
> Title Source: “There's so much spring in the air- there's so much lazy sweetness in your heart.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise

Kara doesn't know how it's possible but spending a whole day in the office dealing with Snapper breathing down her neck – at times literally – is somehow more exhausting than fighting an entire army of giant aliens. Maybe he's actually an energy vampire or something. It's worth investigating at the very least.

But that can wait for another day because right now, she wants nothing more than to go home, collapse on her very nice comfortable couch and sleep for a decade.

Mind set on this simple yet seemingly unattainable goal, she drags herself zombie-like into her apartment, drops her keys, glasses and coat somewhere on the floor and stumbles all the way to her living area where her beloved couch is waiting. Eyes already closed, she has just enough cognitive capacity left to position herself so that she can fall face-down into it.

She expects blissful softness that will help carry her away to the land of the unconscious.

What she gets instead is something pretty solid and a little oddly shaped albeit pleasantly and familiarly warm. She's pretty sure her couch doesn't feel like this.

“Oof.”

She's also pretty sure her couch can't feel pain much less vocalise it.

Confused beyond words, she sluggishly raises her head as much as she's able and opens her eyes. What she finds is Mon-El staring back at her with a bleary look on his face that she's vaguely sure matches her own.

Oh. That explains it.

“Hi,” he mumbles, his hair adorably dishevelled and those mesmerising blue-grey eyes she loves so much half-closed.

“Hi.” Her barely functioning brain latches on to the first thought it manages to form and shoves it out of her mouth without sparing even a microsecond to reconsider it. “You're lying on my couch.”

One of his eyebrows arches. “Yes, I know.”

She scowls. He's doing that thing again – being unimaginably annoying and effortlessly attractive at the same time while she feels like a frumpy klutz – and she's really not in the mood for it right now. “Go away.”

The corners of his lips twitch and the broad and warm chest she's resting on shakes with smothered laughter. It just annoys her even more. “I was here first, you know.”

He has a point, of course, but she's tired and irritated and very stubborn so she refuses to give in. “Well, it's _my_ couch.”

Unsurprisingly and to her increasing irritation, he's unmoved – literally and figuratively. “I had to break up three bar fights and deal with an intoxicated Byarrin today so you're going to have to try harder than that if you want to convince me to get up.”

This is almost too troublesome – it's not like she doesn't like lying on top of him, after all – but she's committed to lying on her _couch_ and not him, damn it, and she _will_ get her way even if she has to play a little dirty. “If I kiss you, will you let me have the couch?”

His other eyebrow disappears into his hairline, and he doesn't bother to suppress his grin any more. “Kara Zor-El, are you offering to _bribe_ me? My, my, how very un-Kryptonian of you.”

If not for the fact that she has practically no energy to spare, she would've pushed herself up to smack him at the very least. “I'm not- Just give me an answer. Yes or no?”

“Well...” he drawls as he lifts his hand and rests it on the small of her back, “I'm not going to stop you from trying.”

The second their lips meet, however, she forgets the events that had led up to this and just revels in everything that makes him him – the taste of his mouth, the warmth of his body beneath her, the feel of his hand lazily trailing up and down her spine, the steady thump of his heartbeat filling her ears... Even her fatigue slowly fades away as the kiss deepens, languid but in no way lacking in passion.

It's moments like these that she wonders how she managed to get so lucky.

Eventually, the need for air forces them to part but she doesn't feel inclined to pull away entirely and settles for resting her forehead against his. Serene silence descends upon them, punctuated only by their breaths which wash over each other's faces in soft puffs.

“So.” Based on his tone alone, she doesn't need to open her eyes to know he's grinning. “Still want me to move?”

Sure enough, when she does open her eyes to glare at him, what greets her is his rather smug expression. The only reason she stops herself from really smacking him this time is the unbridled happiness shining a clear blue in his eyes. “Just shut up and kiss me again.”

He lets out a rumbling laugh but does as she commands anyway, and they don't get off the couch until it's time for dinner.


	2. never saw it coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: Sarah
> 
> Prompt: "Human AU, Kara takes martial arts lessons and Mike is the instructor"

_It's just one class, Kara. You can do it. Alex would be so disappointed with you if you didn't and she's already paid for it so don't waste her money. Just get it over with this one time so you can tell her that you gave it a shot but it's not your thing._

Another heavy sigh escaped Kara as she stared miserably at the innocent-looking front of the martial arts school in front of her. Her first – and only, if she had her way – scheduled self defence class was supposed to start in five minutes and yet she had spent forever standing on the pavement in front of the building like some creepy stalker.

“Kara, you're an investigative reporter and you work late into the night more often than not,” Alex had pointed out when Kara had protested being signed up for this class without being consulted. “We're all worried about your safety and it would ease our minds a lot if you at least knew how to protect yourself in the event you can't use your pepper spray for whatever reason.”

Refusing to do it then had seemed kind of heartless especially with the way Alex had been looking at her so Kara had caved and agreed to go for the class. Now that she was here, however, she was feeling the strong urge to just bail and lie to Alex that things hadn't worked out. The only problem with that plan was that Alex would definitely ask her how it had gone and her stupid crinkle would betray her and then Alex would be upset.

In other words, she was just going to have to suck it up.

Letting out one more sigh, she forced her feet to carry her to the door which her hand pushed open as if the gravitational force of the sun itself was resisting her. Then it was another herculean task to march up to the receptionist's desk and sign in.

“Ms Danvers?”

At the sound of her name, Kara jerked out of her forlorn gazing at the door she had walked through and spun around to find a guy dressed in what looked like the school's standard instructor uniform.

When she had started actually thinking about what this self defence class might entail, she had imagined it would be conducted by some muscle-bound former weightlifter with the face of a bulldog and the temperament of a Tasmanian devil.

Instead, the guy smiling warmly at her was a combination of cute and hot with his short dark brown hair, toned physique and mesmerising blue-grey eyes.

Suddenly she didn't know if she was supposed to feel pleasantly surprised or downright terrified.

“...Ms Danvers?”

“Yes!” she squeaked when she realised she'd been gawking at him for who knew how long with her mouth half-open and he had started looking at her with concern. “T-That's me.”

That megawatt smile returned and her heart skipped a beat. “It's nice to meet you. I'm Mike and I think you're in my class. Are you ready?”

She wanted to say 'No' but now wasn't sure what she wasn't ready for exactly. “S-Sure,” she heard herself answer instead, and then the next thing she knew she was following him to another part of the building and the class had already begun.

What happened next was nothing short of a disaster... for her, at least.

Every single time he picked her for a demonstration or even so much as came over to correct something she had screwed up – and she screwed up _a lot_ – she turned into a blushing, stuttering wreck. There was absolutely no reason for her to behave like this; okay, so he was really handsome and super sweet and he had a nice voice and the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen but that didn't mean anything and she had to stop making a fool of herself before she died of embarrassment right then and there.

Of course, she just continued to screw everything up spectacularly so by the time the class finally ended both her body and her pride were bruised beyond belief. Mike probably either considered her a lost cause or thought she was doing it on purpose to monopolise his attention.

The sooner she could get out of here and put all this behind her, the better.

“This really isn't your thing, is it?”

Once again, Kara was startled out of her pity party by an unexpected but now somewhat familiar voice. Sure enough, when she lifted her head to look at its owner she found none other than Mike, his smile tinged with bemusement. “W-What?”

His lips twitched in a way that suggested he was suppressing a laugh as he gestured around them. “Martial arts. Or fighting in general.”

Had she really been that obvious? But least this meant he had likely mistaken all her blushing to be the result of her embarrassment instead of... something else. “Y-Yeah. My sister Alex signed me up for this because she's worried about my safety but I guess it's just not for me.” Just then, her phone beeped and she groaned when she checked the incoming message. “I have to go. Um, thanks for the lesson. Even if I was probably the worst student you ever had.”

“You're welcome and trust me, I've had worse,” he laughed as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. “Hey, wait.”

Surprised, she stopped in her tracks and turned back around to find him holding out a card bearing the name of the martial arts school. “Here,” he explained. “Just in case you change your mind.”

“Oh. Um, thanks. I'll think about it.” Bidding him a hasty goodbye and getting a warm one in return, she took her leave.

Only when she was finally home did she care to give the card a proper look... whereupon she found a number neatly scrawled on the back along with the simple message, 'Call me?'

A disbelieving giddy smile slowly stole across her face. Maybe she would go back for another class after all.


	3. mine, all mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: ninjarobin21
> 
> Prompt: "PiaD-compliant future fic, someone blatantly flirts with Kara or Mon-El while they're together"
> 
> Disclaimer: In order to avoid spoiling something in the future arc of PiaD, I’ve removed the relevant spoiler element for this ficlet. (You’ll know what it is when the time comes.)

Sometimes, when her work schedule allows for it, Kara heads down to the bar to watch Mon-El work.

As much as she likes all the time they spend by themselves now just like they did in the dream world, she likes seeing him socialising with others even and especially those outside her own circle of family and friends. He's in his element here, his effortless charm and his knowledge of drinks, languages and cultures making it so easy for him to talk to nearly every alien that walks in.

It's one of the simple joys in life for her, seeing him all smiles as he has a friendly chat with a regular or even talking to him herself while he dutifully cleans glasses during a lull in business.

She is _not_ , however, enjoying it right now because he is chatting with a very beautiful Baxxien who is very obviously flirting with him complete with casual arm touches and glowing facial stripes.

And he's not doing anything to discourage her attention.

It shouldn't bother her. That's what Kara tells herself over and over as she tries not to stare – glare, really, but she's not going to admit that to anyone but herself – or eavesdrop on the conversation. Mon-El loves her, for one, and she's absolutely not the type of person who's so insecure about her relationship that she disapproves of her partner doing so much as talking to another woman.

Except no matter how many times she repeats those facts in her head, it doesn't make the twisting feeling in her stomach go away.

What doesn't help is the fact that he isn't doing or saying anything to discourage the Baxxien's advances.

Maybe he hasn't noticed. That's totally possible, right? Eve complains she's never been able to tell when a guy is hitting on her so maybe the same is true for him? But he's the prince of Daxam; surely he's more than familiar-

“Kara?”

His voice cuts through the cacophony in her mind and she nearly jumps out of her stool in surprise. He looks as startled as she feels, his blue-grey eyes wide as he locks gazes with her. “M-Mon-El!”

“Are you okay?” he asks, curious and a touch worried as he rests his hand on the counter close enough to hers that she can feel his familiar warmth. “If you stared at your drink any harder, I'd start suspecting you of trying to boil it with your heat vision.”

“I'm fine,” she tries to lie even though she knows it's futile; admitting that she's being irrationally jealous and insecure over something so innocuous is something she only feels comfortable doing under duress so she prefers to avoid it if possible.

Sure enough, he makes it clear her efforts are for naught by doing nothing more than silently raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

Coming clean is the only way forward... but her mouth ends up working faster than her brain much to her mortification. “Did you know that Baxxien was flirting with you?”

He's so stunned it takes him a moment to respond. “Uh... yes? I mean, the glowing facial stripes are kind of hard to miss.”

“Oh.” She frowns, a hint of petulance creeping into her voice despite her best efforts. “And you're just going to let her keep flirting with you?” _While I'm here, no less._

Instead of being sheepish or anything of the sort, he cocks his head to the side and flashes her an unrepentant grin. “Well, if it causes _that_ look on your face...”

“ _Mon-El..._ ” she growls. If he hadn't been doing it on purpose before, he's definitely going to keep doing it now just to annoy her.

“You know, my people consider it rude to openly reject indirect advances even if the interest isn't mutual,” he continues innocently as if she hadn't said anything, “and you don't want me to be rude, do you?”

It's quite possible that everyone in the bar can hear her teeth grinding but she doesn't care. “You-”

Whatever she meant to say vanishes into ether when he suddenly leans over the counter so all she can see is his face. She can never think straight when he looks at her like that and this time is no different even though there's a definite twinkle of mischief in those blue-grey orbs. “But you know... In Baxxien culture, openly claimed individuals are considered off limits.”

The meaning behind his words is hard to miss and she flushes bright red when the implication sinks in. “Y-You don't mean...” They don't do anything more than hold hands and occasionally peck each other on the cheek when they're in public so the idea of doing anything even a little more... _serious_... than that is enough to make her self-conscious.

He backs off the moment he realises he might have pushed a little too much, pulling away and softening his expression to something more gentle than teasing. “It's okay. I'll just tell her we're together and she'll stop.”

She doesn't really know what drives her to do it but she grabs his arm to stop him just as he's leaving. When he turns back to look at her she reaches out with her other hand to snag his shirt and pull him in for a kiss that is definitely nowhere near chaste.

It's a little awkward – his body is practically hovering over the counter and she's on the very edge of her stool – but none of that registers in that moment. He makes it so easy for her to forget there's a world beyond them – the consequences of spending an eternity with him in a world where there was literally no one else, probably – and even easier when he's kissing her like this-

Loud snickering-like sounds snap her back to reality and she breaks the kiss, her cheeks so hot she's sure her face is going to burst into flames. The source of the noise, she discovers, is the Thivph sitting in one of the booth seats who proceeds to chitter something in his native tongue she's sure is a variation of 'Get a room'.

It only makes her blush worsen, if that's even possible, but of course Mon-El's only response is to laugh very heartily and drop a kiss on her nose before he goes back to work like nothing ever happened.

But the next time Kara sees the Baxxien talking to him, the woman's facial stripes aren't glowing any more so she supposes a little embarrassment is a price she's willing to pay if the situation calls for it.


	4. kiss it better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: carolevanspotter
> 
> Prompt: "Clumsy Kara needs stitches. Mon-El is a doctor/nurse."

People born and raised in the city absolutely did _not_ belong in sleepy little towns.

The moment the thought crossed Kara's mind, she immediately felt guilty and shoved it out of her head. Midvale may be a sleepy little town – even her cousin Alex would agree and _she'd_ grown up in said town – but that was precisely why she was here: to get away from the hustle and bustle of National City in favour of some peace and quiet... and hopefully overcome her writer's block in the process. After the resounding success of her first novel, everyone had been clamouring for a sequel and the demand had proven to be more than a little overwhelming for her.

In the end, her agent Eve had recommended that she take a short break instead of try to push herself too hard. “If immediately hitting the top of a gazillion bestseller lists on your first outing doesn't automatically earn you some much-needed rest, then I might as well quit my job,” Eve had said firmly but gently. “Besides, you're not going to produce your best if you're forcing yourself to write something just because people want you to and I think we can all agree the last thing any of us want is a story you're not proud of.”

Kara had been unable to argue with that so she had relented and called her Uncle Jeremiah and Aunt Eliza to see if they would let her stay with them for about a month or so. Naturally, they had welcomed her with open arms and told her that she was welcome to use Alex's old room as long as she liked. The decision made, she had packed her bags, gotten into her car and set off for some well-earned relaxation where she was absolutely not going to think about anything remotely resembling work.

Now that she was here in Midvale, however, it was proving hard for her to not be bored and just a little miserable as she wandered aimlessly through... Actually, she didn't even know where she was right now. Had she passed through this area already? She couldn't be sure since she hadn't paid much attention to where she was headed the second after she'd set foot outside the door. Still walking at a steady pace, she pulled out her phone and tapped on the maps app-

She tripped over something and pitched forward, her scream of surprise morphing into one of pain when her left knee hit the pavement first and bore the brunt of her fall.

Whimpering, she tried to right herself while moving as little as possible so that she could inspect her injuries through a vision blurred by tears. Without anything to protect it – why oh why had she decided to wear a skirt instead of jeans today of all days? – her knee had sustained the maximum amount of damage and was now bleeding profusely.

“Hey!”

A man's voice called out from seemingly nowhere and she looked up to find a guy roughly her age running over with an expression of genuine concern on his face.

Even through the pain, her brain somehow still managed to notice that he was pretty cute.

“Are you okay?” he asked when he finally reached her, snapping her out of her stupor in the process, but proceeded to answer his own question as he knelt beside her. “This looks pretty bad,” he murmured seemingly to himself before he locked gazes with her and she found herself momentarily mesmerised by his stunning blue-grey eyes.

 _God_ , she thought to herself with no small amount of embarrassment, _get a hold of yourself, Kara._

He offered her a reassuring smile and the sight of it actually managed to briefly distract her from the throbbing pain in her knee. “Hi, I'm Mike.”

“K-Kara,” she stuttered, heat creeping up her neck and spreading across her face. A sweet good-looking guy all the way in mundane Midvale and she had to run into him by being an unparalleled klutz? It couldn't get any worse than this.

Thankfully, he didn't seem to have any mind-reading abilities and just kept smiling as he nodded at her knee. “Nice to meet you, Kara. May I?”

“Please,” she gasped weakly as she forced herself to stop gripping her injured leg and tried not to pay attention to how gentle he was being as he carefully inspected her wound.

“Looks like you're going to need stitches, unfortunately.” Once again, the sound of his voice – which was really nice and soothing... not that she should be noticing that either right now – dragged her back to reality. “But we should probably do what we can as soon as possible. I have a first aid kit in my car and I'm a doctor so will you be all right if I do what I can first before I drive you to the nearest clinic?”

Great. He was a doctor too? The universe had to be yanking her chain. “I-I, um... S-Sure,” she mumbled timidly even as she started wishing for the ground to swallow her whole.

As if some god with a sadistic sense of humour had been listening, she got the opposite of what she wanted when he scooped her up in his arms in a bridal carry.

“W-What are you doing?” she squeaked in alarm and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Carrying you to my car,” he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “This is faster than if I went to fetch my kit.” His smile became somewhat teasing as he turned to look her in the eye and give her a wink. “Don't worry, I promise you're in good hands. Literally.”

It was quite possibly the last thing she was concerned about because right now death seemed very tempting – and very likely via sheer mortification – but there was nothing she could do that wouldn't come off as downright rude so she resigned herself to her fate. Attempting to hide her blushing face, she tucked her face into the crook of his neck... which turned out to be a mistake when she accidentally inhaled a lungful of his scent. Oh god, he even _smelled_ good. If there was a way he could be any more perfect, it certainly wasn't coming to mind.

 _NO. Stop it, Kara_ , she told herself as firmly as she could. _You are absolutely NOT going to start falling for him, okay? It's a bad idea for so many reasons starting with the fact that you're only going to be here for about a month so just forget it right. This. Second._

Unfortunately for her, she failed completely... but fortunately for her, he ended up falling for her too.

A couple of years later, absolutely no one was surprised when she moved to Midvale for good.


	5. feelings transcending time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by: akane171
> 
> Prompt: "Kara takes Mon-El to a museum for the first time"
> 
> Notes: This was supposed to be set in show canon but some of my own writing slipped in so… yeah.

The idea comes to her out of the blue, and the longer Kara considers it the more sense it makes.

She hasn't been a great mentor to Mon-El, she's willing to admit as much, but now that she's aware of it she's trying to make up for her past mistakes and do it right from now on. Of course, sheer determination only gets her so far and she ends up getting kind of stuck pretty quickly... that is, until an innocent little pamphlet in her mailbox gives her some unexpected but brilliant guidance.

“We're going to the museum,” she announces with a bright smile and more than a fair amount of enthusiasm the next morning when she visits him in his quarters at the DEO.

Predictably, he does not share her excitement and simply stares at her with a perplexed look on his face. “We are? Why?”

Uncharitable thoughts about Daxamites and their blatant disregard for higher learning fill her mind and all but erase her jubilant mood but she fights to keep her irritation from showing. _Deep breaths, Kara. You promised yourself you'd be patient with him. It's too soon to give up just yet._ “Because if you're going to fit in on Earth, you need to know more about it and unless you want to attend school for the next twelve years instead, this is a pretty good alternative.”

Maybe it's her prejudice speaking but she expects him to refuse because it doesn't sound fun. To her pleasant surprise, however, he barely waits a second before he shrugs casually. “Okay. When are we going?”

“Oh. Um.” Caught somewhat off guard by his almost immediate agreement and maybe feeling a little guilty at having prejudged him – again – without real cause, she flounders momentarily. “We could... go now? If you're free?”

Once again, he just shrugs and puts away his phone – a loaner from the DEO, like pretty much everything else he has – before getting up from his bed where he had been sitting. “Sure. Lead the way.”

He's similarly compliant throughout the journey to their destination, never once giving the impression he doesn't actually want to do as she suggested, and because of that she lets herself slowly believe the trip is going to be a resounding success.

Of course, he proves her wrong pretty much the second they set foot inside the first gallery which happens to be focused on human evolution.

“ _This_ is what the first humans looked like?” he asks a little too loudly for her liking as he scrutinises the Neanderthal models in the exhibit with a raised eyebrow. “How long did they take before they started resembling us?”

“Shh!” she hisses at him with a mix of panic and anger as she throws furtive glances around them to check if anyone has overheard his incredibly suspicious questions. “Not so loud! And you talk as if there's no chance _your_ distant ancestors didn't look anything like this!”

Her counterargument naturally fails to have its intended effect because he just turns to face her with that infuriating grin of his. “Nope. Not a chance. I mean, look.” He angles his head so that it's somewhat aligned with that of the Neanderthal model and gestures between them. “There's no way _this_ -” he points at his face, “-could have come from _this_ ,” he finishes as he points at the face of the model.

She doesn't really know why she's letting it get to her so much when it's clear he's just fooling around – how she's so certain about that is something she doesn't want to think too much about – but instead of just dropping the matter, she feels compelled to keep the argument going. “So you're saying Daxamites were perfect or something from day one?”

His grin widens as he steps closer, and she gets the distinct feeling she's walked into a trap without realising it. “Why, do you think  _your_ ancestors looked like that once upon a time?”

There's no two ways about it; he's got her cornered there, and the realisation makes her grind her teeth with so much force she's almost sure the sound is echoing inside the mostly empty gallery. “Just keep moving,” she finally growls when she decides that responding to his question won't work in her favour and all but bodily drags him towards the next gallery.

True to form, Mon-El is just as insufferable at the next exhibit and every single one after that, making dumb comments and even dumber jokes that she absolutely was  _not_ going to laugh at no matter how much he insists otherwise. By the time they're approaching the last gallery, she's one stupid wisecrack away from tossing him into the river and calling this plan an utter failure.

As they come to a stop in front of the dinosaur fossils on display, Kara mentally braces herself for yet another barrage of questions and statements designed to piss her off. Jokes about the T-Rex's tiny forearms most likely, for starters, and maybe some ridiculous comparisons between the triceratops and whatever creature he's seen on another planet.

Instead, he stands statue-like as he stares up at the ancient bones that make up the exhibit in complete silence with an expression she's hesitant to name.

All the irritation she felt before vanishes and she suddenly feels like she's intruding on an extremely private moment even though she can't quite understand why.

“Do you miss them?” he asks apropos of nothing, unreadable gaze still fixed firmly on the fossils.

Restlessness turns into confusion in a heartbeat as she frowns at him. “Dinosaurs?”

He still doesn't look at her. “The dragons.”

_Oh._

It clicks then – that almost lost expression, that look in his eyes that suggests he's not really seeing what's in front of him but rather something far in the past, that uncharacteristic quietness... She knows them all too well because she still catches herself doing all those things even now.

He's thinking about home.

“The prince had a dragon, you know,” he says softly before she can figure out how to break the silence although she wonders if he's talking to her or no one in particular. “She was called Nes'th; it means 'swift' in old Daxamite.”

They're the only ones here and he's not being too loud which means there's no need to worry about being overheard. Besides, it doesn't feel right to tell him to stop so Kara steps closer and keeps her tone respectful and gentle. “What was she like?”

A ghost of a smile curves his lips, whispering of fond memories and heartbreaking sorrow, and it's so unlike the Mon-El she knows that she finds herself irrationally and inexplicably hating it. “She was beautiful – the most beautiful dragon to ever grace Daxam's skies. The way her black and blue scales glinted under Rao's light... It was like she was the night sky in physical form.”

“You sound like you really cared about her,” she comments carefully. It strikes her as a little strange why a simple guard would be so attached to a dragon belonging to the prince but this seems like a terrible time to ask about it.

“I helped look after her,” he answers her unvoiced question before he finally meets her gaze with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes – eyes which she notices with some disquiet are presently a dull grey instead of their usual colour. “Sorry, could I just... have a moment?”

For a moment, she wants to insist on staying – to tell him that she's here for him and he can talk to her or something along those lines – but stops herself before she actually does it. This is about him, not her; he needs space right now – has openly asked for it, even – and the best thing she can do for him not just as his mentor but also as... a friend, if she dares to use that term... is to give him that. “Sure.”

Kara stays long enough to mumble a soft 'you're welcome' when he thanks her before she does as she'd promised, wandering off until she finds herself in the gift shop of all places. Unsure how much time she should wait before she goes back for him, she browses the souvenirs on sale with no real intention of buying anything until she spots it: a small pterodactyl figurine. It's obviously a toy meant for kids but something compels her to pick it up and take note of the price.

Mon-El's uncharacteristically sombre expression surfaces in her mind and she makes the purchase before she can think twice about it.

Even so, her stomach is in knots for reasons she can't figure out as she goes back to find him and all but thrusts the little gift bag out for him to take. “Here.”

That melancholic expression of his is gone – whether it's because he's gotten over it or buried it under that happy-go-lucky facade of his is unclear – and he looks confused even as he accepts the bag from her. “What's this?”

Her stomach churns as she watches him pull out the toy in slow motion. “It's not a dragon, I know, but it's all they had.”

He stares at the little figurine in his hand like it's the most precious thing in the universe for Rao knows how long and her anxiety just keeps growing until he finally lifts his head and gives her a smile that lights up his entire face. His eyes, she notes somewhat idly, are more blue than grey now too, and it's strangely a relief to see them that way. “Thank you. I really appreciate this.”

Like magic, the knot in her stomach disappears and her heart does a weird flip-floppy thing. “I'm not going to buy you another one if you break it,” she says just to stop herself from saying... what exactly escapes her.

Instead of being offended, he just smiles that little bit brighter and her heart does that weird flip-floppy thing again. “I'll take really good care of it, I promise.”

(When he moves in, the pterodactyl figurine – still in perfect condition – occupies a special spot on one of her cupboards.)


	6. never saw it coming (again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by: karxmels & Queen07
> 
> Prompt: "Sequel to the martial arts lessons AU"
> 
> Notes: I had two ideas for this and couldn't decide which one to write. In the end, I figured I might as well combine them so... here's more proof I can't write anything short to save my life.

As eager as she was to tap the 'Call' button, Kara still found herself hesitating due to sheer nervousness.

She hadn't dated in a while, for one, and calling a complete stranger- okay, so he wasn't that much of a stranger but they'd still only just met once and she hadn't exactly made a great first impression so really, she had to wonder why he'd given her his number in the first place. Unless it wasn't actually his number and this was some kind of cruel prank and the person on the other end of the line was going to be some creepy pervert-

 _Oh god, stop overthinking this_ , she scolded herself as she put her phone down and buried her head in her hands. _Just make the call, Kara. If it doesn't work out like you hoped, at least you can say you gave it a shot; Alex and Eve would probably give you hell for chickening out and force you to do it when they find out about this._

With that, she raised her head, took a few deep breaths, picked up her phone and tapped the unassuming green circle on the screen before she could second-guess herself any more.

The phone rang.

And rang.

And r-

Click. “Hello?”

Even though they'd only known each other for such a short time, his voice already seemed so familiar. _Oh. Okay. So it's definitely his number._

“...Hello?”

“H-Hi!” she squeaked instinctively in response. God, how long had she left him hanging there? She was almost afraid to check. _Quick! Say something!_ “Um, is this Mike's phone?”

 _NOT THAT!_ For some reason, the voice berating her in her head sounded suspiciously like Eve.

“Yes, this is Mike speaking.” There was a loaded pause. “Kara, right?”

“Y-Yeah, I'm Kara.” How was it possible she was making a complete idiot of herself _again_? And all they were doing was talking – if one could even call it that – on the phone! Maybe this had been a bad idea after all.

“Hi.” If his opinion of her had managed to degrade even further, he didn't let it show in his voice. Instead, he sounded... a little shy, strangely enough. “I was beginning to think you were never going to call. I mean, you didn't seem all that interested in another class so I couldn't be sure you'd give the card a look and see my number on the back.”

She flushed, partially out of embarrassment and partially from the implications. “S-Sorry, I, um... I was really busy after I rushed out and didn't think about the card until after I'd gotten home so... um... yeah.”

“It's okay. I was taking a chance when I wrote my number on it after all; you don't have to feel like you were obligated to call me.”

“N-No! I-It's just... Why?” she blurted out before she could rethink her question. “I mean... We didn't talk much outside of the class itself and I didn't exactly make a very good first impression during it.” Which was the understatement of the century but she didn't see the need to point it out.

“Well...” For some reason, she got the sense that he was scratching his jaw with a sheepish look on his face. “This is probably going to sound cheesy to you but... It felt like we had a bit of a connection there and I'd like to get to know you a little better. If that's something you want too, that is.”

Kara started nodding before she realised he couldn't see her and smacked herself on the forehead. “Y-Yeah, I'd like that.”

“Great!” The genuine happiness in his voice did funny things to her heart. “Are you free for dinner on... say, Friday or Saturday?”

 _This is happening. This is really happening._ “Friday night works for me.”

The next couple of minutes were spent ironing out the when and where before Mike apologised for having to cut the call short on account of needing to wake up early the next morning. It took nearly a full minute after they'd wished each other goodnight and the call had ended before the reality of her situation caught up with her and she buried her face in a cushion to muffle a girlish squeal. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so... _giddy_ about a date. In fact, a part of her wanted it to already be Friday night so that she could see if there really was a chance of something developing between them.

That feeling only lasted for about a minute before she remembered that with her bad luck, she was probably going to screw everything up and started panicking.

As such, it was not so much with giddy eagerness as it was nervous dread that she waited for Friday night to come, fretting over everything from her clothes to the weather forecast. Eve and Alex helped as best they could but also made things worse at the same time – how exactly an offer to stalk Mike on social media was supposed to help was something that eluded Kara – so she ended up roughly where she started emotionally speaking when the long-awaited moment finally arrived.

Like magic, all her worries about whether she'd overdressed for the occasion vanished when she arrived at the restaurant to find him already waiting.

“Hi,” she greeted him with an apologetic smile when she was close enough. “Sorry, I thought I was early.”

The smile he gave her sent her heart fluttering. God, how did he make her feel like she was experiencing her first crush all over again? “No, you are. I'm just earlier. Didn't want to risk making you wait.” He stepped aside and gestured towards the entrance. “Ladies first.”

“Really?” she couldn't help but laugh a little even though she found it incredibly charming. “Isn't that a little old-fashioned?”

He shrugged lightly, his warm smile never once wavering. “Maybe. But my parents raised me to have good manners and I don't want to disappoint them. Besides, if my grandfather heard I treated a woman any less than she deserved, he'd probably beat me black and blue with one of his dusty old books and then disown me.”

“Surely he wouldn't...” she trailed off, torn between amused and alarmed, while he spoke to the receptionist.

“He might, so please do me a favour and don't let me find out,” he begged with a wink.

“Fine, if you insist.” Even though she made a show of only doing it to humour him, Kara couldn't help but feel like she'd really lucked out. What were the odds of finding an honest to goodness gentleman in this day and age?

It was almost too good to be true, and yet Mike continued to behave as if he'd stepped out of a Regency era novel complete with pulling her chair out for her. To top things off, he was funny and a good listener, and her nervousness from earlier faded away in the face of pleasant conversation and genuine laughter.

“I can't believe you tricked me into looking away so you could swipe the bill and pay it all by yourself,” she pouted as they exited the restaurant.

“Guilty as charged.” Of course, he didn't sound sorry at all. “Will you let me make it up to you by walking you home?”

She narrowed her eyes at him but cheered on the inside, more than happy to have the chance to spend just a little more time with him tonight. Maybe if she was really, _really_ lucky, there would be a goodnight kiss to end this perfect night. “I accept.”

“By the way,” he started after they'd walked a reasonable distance, “would you happen to have at least two female friends who happen to be a blonde and a brunette respectively?”

Her smile froze on her face as her mind went into overdrive. Maybe it had all been a ruse and he was secretly a... a sexual deviant of some kind. Or a serial killer. “...Why do you ask?”

The corners of his lips twitched as if he was suppressing a laugh. “Don't look now, but there are two people matching that description doing a very poor job of following us and since I'm very sure I don't have any stalker ex-girlfriends, I have to assume they're connected to you.”

...On second thought, maybe it would have been preferable if he was a sexual deviant. “I can't be sure but it could be my best friend Eve and my sister Alex,” she groaned.

This time, he let himself laugh out loud. “Well, good to know they care so much about you.”

“More like they're being super nosy,” she grumbled. If they ruined her chances of kissing him tonight, she was going to give them hell for it.

He laughed again before leaning in with a mischievous glint in his mesmerising blue-grey eyes. “Since they're your friends, I should probably ask before I make a suggestion you may or may not like.”

“...What suggestion?” she found herself asking, intrigued and just a little excited. Apparently his impishness was contagious.

His smile turned devious. “We run and ditch them.”

She didn't need to hear another word, and instead commended herself for choosing to wear flats instead of heels for their date. “Yes.” _That'll teach those two to stop meddling so much._

“As the lady commands.” He grasped her hand and threw her a wink. “Okay, on the count of three. One... Two... Three!”

Together, they broke off into a sprint down the street and took the first turn they encountered, continuing on until they ran out of breath. Once Mike confirmed that they had lost their 'stalkers', he insisted on fulfilling his earlier promise and they resumed their journey to their original destination.

“S-So. Um.” Kara gestured at her front door, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as her nervousness from before crept up on her again. “This is my apartment.”

He tucked his hands into his pockets and gave her a lopsided grin. “Thanks for indulging me. I wouldn't have been able to rest easy tonight if I hadn't made sure you'd gotten home safely especially considering I know you haven't exactly mastered a lot of self defence techniques.”

“You don't have to bring _that_ up...” she sulked.

“Sorry, I couldn't resist.” A slightly tense silence followed, causing Kara to wonder if he was contemplating what she was contemplating at that moment. “I had a really nice time tonight.”

“Me too.” She dropped her gaze down to her feet while she summoned whatever courage she had to force the next words out of her mouth. Maybe she wouldn't get her goodnight kiss tonight but at least she could try to secure herself another opportunity down the line. “Do you... Would you like to go out again sometime?”

He positively beamed. “I'd love to.”

Someone – or maybe both of them – shifted, and suddenly Kara was hyper-aware that they were now so close she had to tilt her head back a little to look into his eyes. As if the gravitational pull of the sun was at work, they drifted closer and closer, eyes sliding shut and-

_Oh._

Time lost all meaning, and only the pesky need for air was able to force them apart. Even then, they spent several long seconds just staring at each other through half-lidded eyes.

He was the first to make a move, taking a step backwards although it seemed like he was regretting it already. “Goodnight, Kara.”

She almost wanted to invite him in but resisted the urge. _Maybe next time._ “Goodnight, Mike.”

Only when he had finally disappeared from sight did she allow herself to sigh forlornly and go inside.

(Eve and Alex didn't let her escape the next day, but considering how the date had ended, Kara decided not to hold their meddling against them. Not too much, anyway.)


	7. but the loneliness never left me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: Sarah
> 
> Prompt: "Show canon, monologue scene of Kara finding Mon El’s pod"
> 
> Notes: I deviated a little (or a lot) after having rewatched the original scene and finding it a little... lacking... so this ended up being sort of AU. I hope you don't mind.
> 
> Title Source: "But the loneliness never left me / I always took it with me / But I can put it down in the pleasure of your company" ― Florence + The Machine, No Choir

_Another survivor._

That's the first thought that crosses Kara's mind the moment she recognises the pod's design.

It's followed by another thought with the speed of light:

_Finally, someone who'll understand._

Maybe it's a selfish and inappropriate thought to be having in a situation like this – after all, the pod didn't exactly have a smooth landing and whoever's inside might have gotten injured as a result – but she can't help it; the idea that someone else survived Krypton's destruction – not including those who had been imprisoned in Fort Rozz like her aunt and uncle, that is – fills her with a dizzying cocktail of anticipation, excitement and hope.

Who could it be? Someone she might know, perhaps? She hadn't exactly had many opportunities to interact with people outside of her family but there are a few names and faces she's sure she'll be able to recognise on sight.

J'onn urges caution but it falls on deaf ears as she dashes forward to inspect the pod. The damage seems to be mostly superficial at first glance so the chances of its occupant being injured by the impact are low. Still, there's no harm in making sure, and if whoever it is does happen to be hurt, the sooner she gets them the medical attention they need, the better.

At least, that's what she tells herself as she quite literally rips the pod open.

The first thing her brain processes as she looks down at the unconscious man lying inside is that she doesn't recognise him.

The second thing her brain processes, embarrassingly enough, is his looks – his very good looks, to be precise.

J'onn appearing next to her as if out of thin air – although he probably just walked over when she wasn't paying attention – snaps her out of it somewhat, and she's a little more self-conscious while they wait for a DEO team to bring their latest guest back to headquarters for observation.

Even so, she finds herself keeping close enough that the stranger is never out of her field of vision throughout the entire journey as if some part of her is afraid he'll vanish if she loses sight of him even for a second. So focused is she on him that she barely notices that they're not heading towards the desert but rather the city centre until she's literally flying into a building she doesn't recognise.

It seems only fair to be a little miffed at how no one ever bothered to tell her there was another perfectly good DEO building they could have been using instead of a claustrophobic cave but she'll complain about that later.

Right now, there's something – or rather someone – else that more urgently requires her immediate attention.

To her mortification, she finds herself a _lot_ more focused on him when the DEO medical staff remove his shirt in order to better do their job.

She tries, she really does, but it's hard not to stare when the stranger is the topic of discussion and he's just... _there_. Not even pacing helps; her gaze keeps darting away from Alex and J'onn to land on him, and she even has to cross her arms tightly across her chest to stop herself from reaching out to touch him and assure herself that he's real.

Not anywhere inappropriate, of course. Just somewhere like his (nicely toned) arms and not his (distractingly bare) chest.

It crosses her mind that she hasn't been hiding her interest in their new guest very well when her declaration that she's going to stay behind to keep watch over the stranger for a while gets matching raised eyebrows from Alex and J'onn. However, neither of them choose to comment or even stop her, much to her relief, and J'onn merely advises her not to stay too late before they both leave.

Then it's just her and Sleeping Beauty.

Her hands are still a little twitchy when she pulls a chair up to sit down next to his unconscious form. Alex had shot her a look before she had vanished out the door that seemed to suggest her adoptive sister had formed a very erroneous opinion about her reasons for this unprompted vigil but Alex is wrong.

Well, she's not completely right anyway.

He's attractive, there's no denying that, but that's not the main reason why she's so drawn to him – why she finds herself wanting- no, _needing_ him to wake up as soon as possible. When reports come in of a burning building and Supergirl's help is needed, it's with no small amount of reluctance that she tears herself away from his side and leaves to do her job. He's clearly not waking up anytime soon and it's not like he's going anywhere so she really shouldn't be acting like this... and yet...

She just wants someone who understands. Someone who knows what it was like to wake up to the sight of Rao's crimson rays. Someone who's tasted freshly baked ruem and breathed in the sweet fragrance of maejlis flowers.

All she wants is for someone who knows what was lost that terrible day – someone who _feels_ that loss in their soul and can share her pain like no one else can.

Is that too much to ask for?

(The answer, she decides, is a resounding 'yes' when it turns out he's actually a Daxamite.)

(Except she learns later it doesn't matter in the end; he understands anyway.)


	8. surrender to the music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: handlewithkara
> 
> Prompt: "private lesson"
> 
> Notes: This one ran away from me (like so many others) and I'm not sure if it really fulfills the prompt but this is where it led me so... I hope you like it?

The maid of honour and the best man getting together – even if on a very casual 'no strings attached' level – was a cliché that only happened in romantic comedy films.

At least, that was what Kara kept reminding herself as she stared at the nice and very normal-looking apartment door in front of her like it was the bane of her existence.

This was all Eve's fault. And Winn's too, for that matter. In fact, Kara considered him to be the root source of her current problem.

(If she was being completely fair, she herself wasn't entirely free of blame either... although she wasn't at all willing to admit that.)

When Winn had (finally!) proposed to Eve, Kara had been nothing but ecstatic for her best friend. The two of them were made for each other and she knew without a doubt that their marriage would be a long and happy one.

But that was not where her problems had begun.

No, things had started going downhill for her when, after Eve had naturally appointed Kara to be her maid of honour, Winn had mentioned that Mike had already agreed to be his best man.

 _That_ was the point where Kara had known she was in trouble.

Despite the two guys having been best friends since high school, not even Eve had met the elusive Mike Matthews that her boyfriend – now fiancé – talked about so much before this. It wasn't that Mike had no interest in meeting his best friend's soulmate, however; shortly after he had finished high school, his father had opened a new branch of his business in Coast City and the Matthews family had moved there. Nevertheless, the two guys had kept in touch and their friendship had remained strong through the years despite the distance.

In an amazing case of serendipitous timing, Winn's proposal had almost perfectly aligned with Mike moving back to National City to manage the local branch of his family's business.

Like Eve, Kara's knowledge of anything related to Mike stemmed entirely from the photos and stories that Winn shared whenever he came up in conversation. The picture Winn had painted – literally and figuratively – had piqued her interest... and Eve had naturally noticed. (Sometimes Kara wondered if her best friend had been born with a weird sixth sense connected to her love life.)

As such, it was of no surprise that the moment Eve had heard that they were finally going to meet this Mike they kept hearing about, the woman had been insufferable. Hardly a day had passed where Kara hadn't had to hear some kind of less than subtle 'hint' that as the respective best friends of both halves of the soon-to-be-married couple, it would be “in everyone's best interests” if the two of them “got along”.

It was very obvious what exactly Eve's idea of “getting along” entailed and Kara had resolved not to let her best friend have the satisfaction of getting her way.

Of course, that resolve had been tested the first time Kara had met Mike in the flesh... and it continued to be tested every single time they met after that as they helped their respective best friends plan the perfect wedding.

Mike was hot; that had been obvious from the photos but he somehow seemed even hotter in person. Tall, broad shoulders, toned arms, hair that looked really soft... and those blue-grey eyes. God, it had to be illegal to have eyes as beautiful as his.

However, his looks had not been the only quality that Kara found attractive about him. (Not that it wasn't a huge plus point, but still.)

Everything Winn had said about his best friend had turned out to be far from an exaggeration; Mike was an all-round great guy with whom anyone would be hard pressed to find fault. He had a wonderful sense of humour, was a good listener, never seemed to miss a chance to help someone in need...

...and apparently was also good at dancing.

Which was where her already troublesome problem had gotten even worse.

Whoever it was that had come up with the stupid tradition that the maid of honour and the best man had to dance together at the wedding deserved to have a piano fall on their head if they weren't already dead.

The second person who deserved to have something very hard and heavy dropping on their head was Eve.

True to form, Eve had seized on this tradition as her golden opportunity to enact her devious plan and brought up the matter along with Kara's possession of two left feet when the four of them had been having lunch.

Being the nice and helpful guy that he was, Mike had naturally offered to teach Kara.

In his apartment. To keep costs down, of course.

There had been no way to refuse without seeming either rude or suspicious.

And now here she was, standing in front of Mike's front door and trying very hard not to think about all the times her conversations with him had been more flirtatious than friendly and how they were essentially going to be putting their hands on each other – while still clothed, but that seemed like a pretty insignificant detail right now – in a matter of minutes.

 _God, Kara_ , she scolded herself for the umpteenth time. _Get a hold of yourself and your hormones. Just because you haven't even so much as dated for ages doesn't mean you should jump the first eligible guy who crosses your path. So what if he's hot, funny, sweet and basically everything you've ever wanted in a boyfriend and he's been giving a hell of a lot of signs suggesting he's just as into you as you're into him? You're here to learn how to dance and that's it. Keep the flirting to a minimum, make sure your hands stay away from anywhere they shouldn't be and don't stay any longer than you're supposed to, got it?_

Having told herself that as sternly and firmly as she could, Kara sucked in a fortifying breath and finally knocked.

Her strength of will started to fade the moment the door opened and she was presented with Mike's dashing good looks and charming smile.

“Hey.” The twinkle in his blue-grey eyes only made her resolve to not do anything rash seem like a colossally stupid idea. “I was beginning to think I'd scared you off, Danvers.”

“You wish,” she scoffed but failed to suppress the bemused grin that curved her lips. God, she was already slipping and she hadn't even made it inside his apartment yet. “You don't scare me, Matthews. Now come on; I've got places to be after you prove you're really the one who needs dance lessons.”

The lesson barely lasted fifteen minutes.

But at least she could say they shared equal amounts of blame.

“Wait. Wait, stop,” she gasped when she broke the kiss and pushed him away – a stunning feat considering he had her pressed against the wall and her legs were wrapped around his waist.

He complied although he looked confused, those mesmerising blue-grey eyes a little dazed and his lips thoroughly kissed – details she found herself incredibly proud of for obvious reasons. “Uhhh... Wait, are you regretting this? Because-”

“What? No! It's just-” She screwed her eyes shut as she let out a groan and freed one of the hands she had tangled in his now incredibly mussed up hair so she could drag it down her face. “Eve's been plotting this ever since... well, ever since Winn said you were going to be coming to the wedding.”

“Ah.” That infuriatingly irresistible grin of his made its return and she fought the urge to kiss it away. Again, that is. “And you're not keen on letting your best friend realise her cunning plan actually worked?”

Kara rolled her eyes. “You've met her. She'll be insufferable. _Forever._ ”

“Mm, I can see why you'd want to avoid that.” Mike paused and studied her with interest and a hint of caution. “So...”

He was leaving the decision in her hands – something which endeared him to her even more. “I don't want her to find out about us anytime soon. Especially not before the wedding.”

His grin became teasing but there was a touch of warm wonder to it. “So there's an us?”

She couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face. “Yes. Now shut up and kiss me again.”

(They got caught making out in Mike's car before the rehearsal dinner, and the manic grin Eve wore for the rest of the night had nothing to do with her impending wedding.)


	9. putting the 'Super' in 'Supercuts'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: Anonymous via Tumblr
> 
> Prompt: "Karamel haircut and/or shaving"
> 
> Note: For those like me who don't live in America, Supercuts is an American hair salon franchise. The title was a joke I came up with at the start when I was at a loss as to what to name this fic and by the time I finished it I hadn't managed to think up something better so it stuck.

Kara likes Mon-El's hair.

It's not like he's not an all-round good-looking guy – he is, of course, but she's never going to say that to his face or he'll be insufferable forever – and she doesn't consider it her favourite physical attribute of his – that would definitely be his eyes – but... she likes it all the same.

There aren't a lot of things on Earth she can genuinely feel thanks to her invulnerability but she can feel _him_ – his touch, his warmth, his kisses... and his hair. It's welcomingly soft, and there are days – the ones she can afford to spare in between all her responsibilities, that is – where she's content to do nothing more than run her fingers through his brown locks while he sleeps with his head on her lap after a long and busy shift at the bar.

(She also likes tangling her fingers in his hair while they're doing more... physical... things... but that's a completely different topic.)

That's how she notices – or at least, that's the part she's willing to admit to herself. (It's normal to pay attention to the little things about someone you... like but there's something about acknowledging that simple fact that makes her skittish.)

“Your hair's gotten long,” she hears herself comment out loud before she even realises the thought has popped into her head. His stubble seems a little more prominent too but she's not as sure about that one as she is about his hair.

“Hmm?” Surprised, he looks up from his latest book – a second-hand copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland he picked up during their last trip to the mall – and squints at his fringe as he raises a hand to touch his hair. “Huh. You're right.”

It's only then that she realises the last time she knows for sure he'd gotten his hair cut was when she'd done it herself right here in her own apartment. Like her and Kal-El, the invulnerability Earth's yellow sun grants Mon-El makes certain tasks unusually difficult and dealing with growing hair is one of them. Since she had been the only one between them with heat vision, she had helped with his first ever haircut on Earth but it's been weeks since then and she has no idea how he's managed to keep it short all this time without her help. “Come to think of it, this is the first time I've actually seen your hair this long. How did you manage to keep it short before this?”

“Oh, Winn helped make me something for that using data he has on your heat vision to make sure it was powerful enough to do the job,” he explains.

For some reason, alarm bells start ringing in her head. “He did?”

“Yeah, it was really good.” Then he frowns slightly. “I haven't been able to use it recently though.”

The alarm bells ring just a little louder. “Why?”

“He got the idea to upgrade it into a...” he trails off as he scrunches his face in concentration, “I think he called it a life shaver?”

“...You mean a lightsaber?” she asks very slowly in the hopes that she's wrong.

Unfortunately for her, his face lights up and he snaps his fingers. “That's the word he used!” He frowns again. “Come to think of it, he said he was going to test it like a week ago but hasn't mentioned it since then.”

At that, she puts two and two together. “Hold on, is that why there are laser burn marks all over the walls of the DEO test lab?”

Mon-El gets that look on his face that suggests he realises he might have said a little too much. “Uh... I, um... Actually, I just remembered that the thing just... broke. When I... stepped on it. Two weeks ago.”

It's kind of sweet how he's trying to help cover for Winn even though he's doing a terrible job of it and while she should let J'onn know she's finally identified the culprit, she decides to leave it be. After all, Winn's her friend too and the damage was mostly superficial so there's no real reason to turn him in. Instead, she just shakes her head and gives him an exasperated look. “I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear any of this,” she sighs before deciding to shift their conversation back to her original issue. “So you haven't been able to cut your hair since then?”

“Pretty much,” he shrugs casually. “It's not that big a deal though. I mean, it's still manageable so it can wait until Winn makes me a new one.”

“Do you want me to help?” she offers. “I've done it before and we're both kind of free right now so...”

His bright smile is answer enough. “Sure, if you don't mind.”

A sense of déjà vu overcomes her as they get started, and Kara can't help but think about how much things have changed – her, him, their relationship and everything else in between – since that first time. It's a good change – the best, even, if she dares to confess as much (which she doesn't) – and she wonders what other changes are in store for them in the future.

Before she realises it, it's done and he's inspecting his hair in her hand mirror with a small grin. “Perfect.” His grin turns a little teasing as he meets her gaze. “Or should I say 'Super'?”

She rolls her eyes at his lame joke but can't help the wry smile that curves her lips. “As long as you like it, I'll pretend I didn't hear that.”

“I love it.” Inexplicably, his grin softens into a somewhat shy smile, and the reason behind this unexpected change is revealed with his next words. “Do you... Would you mind helping me cut my hair from now on?”

His simple request stuns her not because of its nature but rather the implications behind it – implications she isn't sure escape him or not – and they spark thoughts she had never expected to come out of something as mundane as a haircut, unorthodox method notwithstanding. She imagines them still doing this weeks, months... even years from now and finds herself wanting it so much it's actually a little shocking.

All because it means they'll still be together. Weeks, months, years... and maybe... maybe even centuries far into the future.

“Kara?”

Mon-El's voice snaps her back to reality and she finds him eyeing her with a touch of worry in his blue-grey eyes. “Sorry, did you say something?”

His concern becomes just a little more pronounced, and she realises with some small measure of guilt that he must have mistaken her silence for hesitation. “You don't have to if you don't want to; I'll just ask Winn-”

“No, it's not that,” she corrects him with a shake of her head, and a faint blush dusts her cheeks as she gives him a shy smile of her own. “I'd love to.”

His smile is as bright as the sun, and she thinks that maybe it's not too improbable that he might want that future she imagined too.


	10. blunders and busybodies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: cassier556
> 
> Prompt: "Supergirl's phone gets stolen and CatCo posts her text messages and they just can’t figure out who the 😏 (Mon-El) contact is"
> 
> Notes: I may have gone a little off track from the prompt but I hope you like it all the same.

Kara's made mistakes; she knows it and she's not so proud that she won't admit it.

There have been big mistakes – thinking she can take on a rampaging Buroul without backup definitely counts – and little mistakes – picking up the wrong order and getting yelled at for it by Ms Grant for a whole hour – but no matter what, she's owned up to every last one of them.

This time though... This time, she _really_ wishes she could just blame it all on someone else.

Maybe Alex. Alex had been the one who had given her the second phone in the first place, after all. “Consider it a necessary backup now that you have a second job,” her adoptive sister had said as she had handed over the device. “You never know when you'll need it.”

That moment had never really materialised and, minus checking the few DEO alerts that had gotten sent to it, Kara had ended up just using it when her own phone's battery was low or for random things like downloading games Winn had recommended trying.

And occasionally texting Mon-El.

It's a bad habit she shouldn't have allowed to take root, she realises in hindsight, but at the time it had seemed pretty harmless. She's a careful person, after all, and keeping track of two phones is a simple enough thing to do.

At least, that's what she had believed.

Right up until she had gotten into a huge brawl with a couple of alien mercenaries downtown and lost that phone somewhere between getting punched into a building and having a car tossed at her head.

Which in itself would've been fine if she had noticed and retrieved it before she had left.

Of course, she hadn't done that... and someone else had found it instead.

Someone who had managed to figure out that the phone belonged to Supergirl... and posted the texts all over the internet.

The internet had promptly and predictably imploded.

And now here she is, hiding from the rest of the world face down on her couch and alternating between cursing herself for her carelessness, trying not to die of embarrassment and wishing she had a combination of Winn's hacking skills and J'onn's telepathic powers just so she can destroy all the evidence and erase everyone's memories then pretend none of this ever happened. (Her one saving grace – whatever it's worth anyway – aside from the fact that she'd put a silly smiley instead of Mon-El's name and consequently protected his identity is that their texts had been more sweet and mushy instead of scandalous and inappropriate although some of his had definitely counted as suggestive in nature.)

In short, Kara is nothing less than a giant Kryptonian-shaped ball of shame and suffering at the moment.

The same, however, cannot be said for Mon-El, who had readily surrendered his own phone once they had realised it had been indirectly compromised and is now using her laptop to keep track of the madness with a gigantic grin on his face.

To say that he's the complete opposite of her and is actually enjoying this entire fiasco would be an understatement.

“'Supergirl's Superboyfriend?'!” he reads out yet another atrocious headline from some gossip website with the exuberance of a kid in a candy store. “Hey, maybe I should adopt that as my superhero name.”

“ _Absolutely not._ ” Her words come out muffled thanks to her current position so she forces herself to lift her head just enough that she can glower at him. “Again, _no_. It's _mortifying_. Don't you have any shame? And wouldn't you prefer to have a superhero name that's completely your own instead of one that's so... so... connected to me?”

“Daxamite,” he reminds her as he meets her almost lethal glare, his free hand pointing at his still grinning face that she very dearly wants to throw a pillow at right now. “As for your second question, I'd consider it an honour so I really wouldn't mind.”

“Well, it's mortifying for _me_ then!” she growls, her cheeks burning so much she wonders if her face resembles a fire hydrant at the moment. “And I don't understand why you're so interested in all this! Didn't they have gossip back on Daxam?!”

“Nothing like _this_. I mean, everyone pretty much knew who everyone was sleeping with-” She cringes at that and turns a darker shade of red. “-so the gossip was more about other things like who'd gotten caught cheating at cards- Oh, CatCo's put out an article too!” he cuts himself off to announce the latest update, somehow managing to sound even more delighted than before. “And look, your boss even wrote it herself!”

A miserable groan escapes her and she buries her face in her couch again. Ms Grant had been beyond livid that someone had out-scooped her about Supergirl, never mind the fact that it had been the result of a complete accident, and Kara can only imagine what the woman has written much less planned next.

Luckily for her, Mon-El decides it's his duty to share the 'pertinent' details with her. “Wow, she managed to guess that I'm an alien too and there's even a photo of us although it's kind of blurry...” He laughs. “The comments are even better. They're saying I must be 'a real hunk' and 'totally ripped' among other things.”

Aghast, she raises her head again to stare at him, a confusing mixture of incredulity and possessiveness clouding her mind. “ _Why would they even be talking about that kind of thing?!_ ”

“Well, you're Supergirl,” he replies with a faux sage-like voice although it's beyond obvious he's suppressing one hell of a smug grin. “It's only natural to assume you have excellent taste in men.”

She gurgles for over a minute, unable to vocalise a single coherent word due to being at a complete loss as to how to respond. Denying it feels wrong but agreeing is just unthinkable especially since he'll be obnoxiously self-satisfied about it until the end of time... and judging by the way he's now openly grinning at her, he knows it.

Stuck between two unpalatable choices, Kara opts to take a third option and drops her head back down again. Maybe if she gives it enough time, this will all just blow over and she can get on with her life like nothing had ever happened.

The laugh full of impish glee that bursts out of Mon-El just as she finishes that thought suggests she's not getting her wish anytime soon... and what he says next only confirms it in the worst possible way. “Hey Kara, guess what? Apparently it's called 'supersex' when we do it!”

...Screw this. National City can go find itself a new superhero; she's leaving Earth and never coming back.

(Eventually Winn is able to make it seem as if the texts had been part of someone's roleplaying account, whatever that's supposed to be, but it's still a good long while before Kara can bring herself to look any of her family and friends in the eye.)


	11. to the last, to the next, to many more to come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: Me, I guess?
> 
> Prompt: "anniversary"
> 
> Notes: akane171 reminded me just yesterday that today is Melwood's first anniversary and since they're probably not going to give us anything to mark the occasion, I figured I'd try to provide something that might pass for the next best thing. Hope you all like it.

Maybe it's due to a passing realisation. Maybe she'd subconsciously been keeping track of it all this while even when she'd been in denial about her feelings.

Whatever the case, Kara happens to look at the calendar on her desk and realise with a start that it's not just another average day – at least to most other people.

Not to her. And not to one other person – even more so than her, actually – although she's not sure if he's realised it himself.

Well. Not that it matters. The fact is she's realised it and she's going to do something about it because the occasion deserves to be celebrated.

Mind made up, she rushes out of CatCo the second she finishes her work for the day and heads straight for her favourite bakery. As if Rao is on her side, there's a salted caramel chocolate cake ready and waiting so it's with a bright smile on her face that she makes her purchase and heads home with her precious cargo cradled carefully in her arms.

The moment she opens her front door, she's greeted first by the mouth-watering smell of green curry and then the very welcome sight of the one responsible for the aroma. Mon-El looks up from the pot he's carefully stirring, having naturally heard her come home, and gives her that smile of his that instantly makes her day better without fail. “Hey, welcome home. You're just in time; dinner's almost ready.” Then he spots the box in her hands and his expression turns curious. “Oh, did you buy something for dessert?”

“Yes and no.” She laughs a little when her ambiguous answer only makes him visibly confused. “Do you know what today is?”

He frowns in concentration although he's not too focused that he forgets to turn the heat down and let the green curry simmer. “Um... The day Snapper finally said something nice to you?” he hazards a wild guess.

This time, her laugh is a little louder and although it would be fun to see what else he comes up with, she decides to take pity on him. “I wish.” She puts down the cake box and steps closer to him so that she can wrap her arms loosely around his waist. “It's your Earth Birthday,” she explains, even happier than before when his automatic response is to mirror her actions even though he's still imitating a lost puppy. “One year ago today, you crash-landed on Earth right here in National City.”

 _Right into my life_ , she mentally adds but is hesitant to say out loud. Sure, he's formed strong bonds with everyone else from J'onn to Winn but it's _her_ world he changed so drastically – and for the better at that – so she thinks she can be forgiven for selfishly wanting to mark this occasion with just the two of them.

“Oh.” He blinks, naturally unaware of her thoughts, and his confusion turns into a mild form of stunned surprise. “Wow, has it been that long already?”

She hums in acknowledgement and the space between them shrinks even more. “Time really flies, doesn't it?”

“Yeah... and...” His blue-grey eyes communicate what can only be described as pure joy and awe. “There's been a lot of changes in one year.”

“Good changes,” she affirms before finally giving in to the urge to peck him on the lips. “But dinner first and cake later; that green curry's been taunting me since I set foot inside.”

“Of course,” he chuckles teasingly but wastes no time getting the food prepared – after all, he like everyone else who knows her is all too aware that standing between her and food is an invitation for trouble – and before long even the last grain of rice has been consumed and it's time to bring out the cake.

“Okay, since it's your first Earth Birthday I figured it would only make sense to use just one candle,” she tells him as she places a lone candle in the centre of the cake. “You remember what everyone else did on their birthdays, right?”

“Make a wish and then blow out the candles.” He eyes her with bemusement when she uses her heat vision to carefully light the candle but thankfully doesn't ruin the mood by saying anything about it. “Do I start now?”

“Anytime you want.” She watches him carefully as he closes his eyes, his expression unreadable, and stays that way for a few seconds before opening them again and blowing out the small flickering flame.

“I'm not supposed to tell you what I wished for, correct?” he asks when he looks up to meet her gaze.

“Nope,” she confirms and shakes her head for good measure although she has to admit privately that she's more than a little curious. “If you do, it won't come true.”

“Hmm. Then I guess I better not take the risk.”

They leave it at that but even as they cut the cake and graduate from eating their own slices to playfully stealing each other's share, she can't help but wonder if his wish is the same wish that had manifested in her heart when she had decided to buy the cake in the first place.

She hopes so. She really, _really_ hopes so.

(It is.)


	12. special (agent) service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: Anonymous via Tumblr
> 
> Prompt: "undercover maid"
> 
> Notes: This one also ran away from me like so many others but in my defence, it's not an easy prompt to work with and I did my best. Also, I'm pretty sure this isn't how things are supposed to be done in real life but... well, it's fiction so... yeah.

It was supposed to have been a relatively simple operation.

At their core, the Gands were no different from all the other filthy rich families that had gained their obscene amounts of wealth through shady deals and other questionable means. The FBI had taken their kind down before a hundred times and there would be a hundred more others just like them long after they had been shipped off to jail where they belonged.

When Kara had been chosen to go undercover as a maid in their household, she had treated it like any other assignment of this type she had undertaken before. Routines, business schedules, even favourite restaurants... She had memorised every bit of information the FBI had on each Gand on the off chance that it would come in handy in the unlikeliest of situations.

Naturally, that had also meant learning everything she could about Michael Gand, the only son of Lars and Rhea Gand.

If 'Frat Boy of the Universe' was an award that actually existed, she was sure that he would win it hands down... and keep winning it year after year without fail at least until he died of alcohol poisoning, a drug overdose or some other health issue brought on by his degenerate lifestyle. In fact, his only redeeming qualities seemed to be that he was sensible enough not to drive while drunk and his apparent lack of involvement in his parents' illegal activities.

“He's also hot as hell,” her colleague Eve had added with an impish smirk while waving one of his surveillance photos in Kara's face. “Don't forget the most important part.”

How that was in any way relevant had escaped Kara but she was used to Eve making such inappropriate remarks and had just rolled her eyes at that. Whether Michael looked like a modern day Adonis or the Hunchback of Notre Dame had no bearing on her assignment and once she had made her way into the Gand household, she was just going to avoid him whenever possible. Considering his reputation as an unapologetic womaniser, he would probably try to seduce her – not that she would ever fall for his sleazy charm, of course – and quite possibly cause her nothing but trouble until the very end.

Less than a week after she had started her undercover assignment, that prejudiced view of him had not just been challenged but rather nearly obliterated in its entirety.

She had no idea how the FBI had missed the domestic abuse during their initial surveillance but it was impossible for her not to notice when it was happening right in front of her on an almost daily basis.

When Lars and Rhea had been nothing more than profiles and pictures to her, Kara had already despised them on principle. Now that she had seen how they treated their own son, however, she wanted to be the one to personally shove them into their jail cells.

Rhea was undeniably the crueller of the two with her nearly constant barrage of disparaging remarks that cut deeper than any blade could achieve. If anything, the occasional slaps that reverberated throughout the Gand mansion were nothing compared to the verbal abuse she heaped on Michael at every opportunity. Sometimes, it seemed as if she treated him worse than she did any of her servants... or even all of them combined.

Suddenly, all the alcohol, drugs and one night stands made an unsettling amount of sense.

It wasn't long before Kara had gone from wanting nothing to do with Michael Gand to wishing for his sake that he had been born into any other family – born to parents who actually loved him and didn't seem to treat hurting him as their favourite hobby.

But the tipping point – the change of heart she had never seen coming – had been one night when he had stumbled in dead drunk and she had been the only one still awake at that late hour.

He had mumbled about everything from whether he had left his jacket at the bar – he was wearing it – to how insanely blue her eyes were – _like comets_ , he had slurred – as she had all but dragged him up to his room to sleep it off. His clumsy compliment had shocked her not because she hadn't expected it – he was a notorious flirt, after all – but rather because... because... she hadn't _minded_ it.

Of course, that potentially world-altering realisation had taken a back seat when he had proceeded to follow up that compliment with a very shocking and rather lucid confession: He knew about his parents' illegal dealings – not everything but enough to actually put them away for a substantially long time – and he wished he had the courage to stand up to them about it instead of constantly running away and trying to pretend everything was fine.

Then he had finally fallen asleep, leaving her with a dilemma that kept growing until it had presented her with a very ill-advised solution.

When he had sought her out the next morning while she was cleaning one of the mansion's many rooms to apologise for his behaviour, she had taken the biggest gamble of her life and revealed her true identity. She had confessed that her name was not Linda Lee but rather Kara Danvers and she was an FBI agent trying to uncover evidence that would bring his parents to justice. While he had been stunned silent, she had taken the opportunity to go through with her highly unorthodox and risky plan: try and convince him to testify against his parents.

“I know what I'm asking of you is something unthinkable,” she had said, “but you told me yourself last night: You know what they're doing is wrong and you want to stop them. I can help you do that. I know you don't believe it, Michael, but there's a good man somewhere deep down inside you – a good man who deserves a second chance instead of suffering the same fate as his parents when the law finally catches up to them. All you have to do is trust me and work with me.”

He had stared blankly at her for an inordinate amount of time before simply turning on his heels without saying another word. Panic had set in quickly after that – Had she miscalculated? Was he going to warn his parents? What were the chances that the operation had just been sabotaged beyond salvation by her own hand and she was going to end up a rotting corpse in the river? – but it was too late; all she had been able to do was pray that she had been right about him even as she had begun wondering if she needed to tender her resignation when she could finally go back to the office.

Several nerve-wracking days where he had avoided her like the plague had passed before he sought her out again in the laundry room while his parents were out of town. “Hey,” he greeted her softly, startling her so much she let out a short shriek as she spun around to face him. “Sorry, I... I didn't mean to scare you.”

“N-No, it's fine. I was just... a little tense.” She took in the way he looked – tired, worn out and a far cry from the playboy persona he usually put on to mask his pain – and her still racing heart ached for him. There was a small voice at the back of her head telling her that she was crossing a line she shouldn't – had possibly already crossed it a long time ago, even – but she found she was past caring about that. “You didn't tell your parents about me.”

His haggard expression twisted into one of bewildered hurt. “They would've killed you. I couldn't...” He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. “I'd never be able to live with myself.”

“I know,” she rushed to reassure him with an outstretched hand, her feet already taking her a few steps closer to him before she was even aware of it. “I'm sorry I implied you would. You... I meant what I said about you being a good man, Michael, and a good man wouldn't do something like that.”

He let out a noise that vaguely resembled a laugh. “You believing that makes one of us.” Then his distorted mirth disappeared as quickly as it had manifested and his expression became pained again. “They're my parents.”

It was a loaded statement filled with more emotions than those three words had any right to possess. “I understand,” she said gently, aware that her response was worth so little it was almost a mockery even though there really was nothing else she could offer.

The flicker of gratitude in his blue-grey eyes when he met her gaze again showed he appreciated the gesture anyway, much to her quiet relief. “So... What happens now?”

“I'll have to contact my superiors and then... we'll see.” Taking another ill-advised gamble albeit of a different kind, she closed the distance between them and grasped his hand. “But no matter what, I promise I'll be with you every step of the way, okay? We're going to get through this. Together.”

“...Okay.” He looked so much like a lost puppy as he slowly turned the hand she was holding around so that they were palm to palm that she was seized with the urge to hug him as tightly as she could and tell him that she would never let him be hurt again. “Then... I'm in your hands, Kara.”


	13. ants not invited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: karxmels
> 
> Prompt: "having a picnic and playing the guitar together"
> 
> Notes: I couldn't figure out how two people can play a solo instrument at the same time and I didn't want to watch the scene that inspired it so I hope you don't mind if I just had one person do it, haha.

In hindsight, Kara should have known better than to trust Eve... but in her defence, there really had been no way to predict that her best friend would be quite so conniving.

“I've gotten dragged into helping out with a charity event for the animal shelter in my neighbourhood,” was how Eve had begun laying her devious trap over lunch roughly two weeks ago. “It's one of those blind auction things and I don't know if it's because of that or some other reason but the response has been pretty lukewarm and now the organisers are worried they won't raise enough money in the end.”

Like an idiot with an easily exploitable bleeding heart especially when it came to cute animals, Kara had immediately volunteered to help, handing over a hundred bucks and telling Eve to bid on something on her behalf. In response, Eve had beamed, gushed words of thanks and promised Kara would get her money's worth while supporting a good cause at the same time.

When she looked back at that moment, she realised she unfortunately had no one to blame but herself for never so much as thinking to ask what exactly was being auctioned off at the event.

Kara had only found out when Eve had appeared at her doorstep with a wide grin on her face and a nice printed card in her hand, voicing heartfelt congratulations on Kara having won a wonderful picnic date with a complete stranger. This had been followed by a none too subtle warning that unspeakable suffering would ensue if Kara didn't show up at the location written on the card at the appointed date and time.

And that was how Kara found herself standing in a park on a sunny Saturday afternoon, simultaneously still numb with shock and a nervous wreck worrying about everything from whether she had overdressed to how ready she was to tempt Eve's wrath by bailing that very second.

“Uh, hi.”

The male voice behind her made her freeze and she turned around ever so slowly to find a guy dressed in jeans and a light blue flannel shirt who was holding a reasonably large picnic basket in one hand and a phone in the other. At his feet lay a rather worn-looking guitar case which she could only assume he had put down in order to fish out said phone which he kept glancing down at before looking back up at her face.

_-Oh, he's hot-_ , a voice at the back of her head sighed dreamily. _-I hope he's looking for us.-_

She shoved the traitorous voice into a giant box and resisted the urge to flee even as she felt her feet spontaneously grow roots. “H-Hi?”

He offered her a hesitant but warm smile as he lowered his phone. “Sorry if I have the wrong person but would you happen to be Kara Danvers? Because that's who I'm supposed to meet here and you look a lot like the woman in the photo I was given as a reference.”

Inside the box serving as its prison, the traitorous voice let out a muffled victorious cheer.

“Y-Yeah, t-that's... that's me,” she squeaked, feeling her panic levels rise even higher than before. “Um...”

“Oh! Right, sorry.” His smile turned sheepish as he put his phone away and stepped closer to offer his now free hand. “Mike Matthews. I, uh, made the picnic basket you won at the auction so I guess that makes me your date for today.”

_-Well, Eve was right. We DEFINITELY got our money's worth. Wait, does that mean he's like an indirect male escort or something?-_

Kara weakly disguised her choking on thin air as a dry cough as she met him halfway and awkwardly shook his hand before releasing it as if it was on fire. “H-Hi. Uh, nice to meet you. S-So... um...” She gestured animatedly around them. “Where should we... um...”

Having picked up on her nervousness – not that she was doing a very good job of hiding it, of course, but still – Mike took the lead and pointed at a tree a short distance away. “How about over there? It might get a bit hot later so a spot with some shade would be good.”

_-You mean 'hotter' because it's already hot with you here.-_

For some reason, the traitorous voice had started to sound a lot like Eve... which gave Kara even more reason to visualise hurling it into the sun. “S-Sure! Um, let me help with that.”

“It's okay, I can handle it. Besides, I wouldn't be a very good date if I let you lift a finger for anything other than eating the food I brought,” he replied with a chuckle and a wink that made the blush darkening her cheeks worsen. “If you insist though, here.” He picked up the neatly folded picnic blanket that had been resting on top of his basket and held it out while giving her another cheeky wink. “You can lay down the picnic blanket while I prepare the food.”

Having no other recourse and desperate to occupy herself with anything in order to avoid making a fool of herself, she meekly accepted the item and did as he suggested. Of course, the task didn't take up as much time as she would have liked and she spent several long seconds standing around trying not to stare at the muscles on his arms as he took out a flask and several containers from the basket.

Luckily for her, the sight and smell of the mouth-watering Scotch eggs inside the first container he opened served as an equally tantalising distraction as did the contents of the other containers. “Wow. Did you make all of this yourself?”

“Uh, yeah.” He let out an embarrassed laugh as he scratched the back of his head. “It's a lot, I know, but I couldn't really figure out what to put in the basket so I kind of kept going and... well, got carried away a little, I guess. Don't hesitate to tell me if anything tastes off though; I tried out a few new recipes and didn't have time for a taste test so I'm not sure if they turned out all right.”

Everything had in fact turned out better than all right from the sausage rolls to the blueberry cheese tarts and she told him as much readily. Even so, she felt like her troubles just kept getting worse with every bite and passing second of pleasant conversation. Great. So he was an amazing cook on top of being handsome, funny, a gentleman and clearly someone with a heart of gold because he wouldn't have volunteered to help out with a charity event otherwise.

In other words, if she didn't find some kind of fault with him soon, she was doomed. Which was quite possibly what Eve had intended when she had hatched this devious little scheme of hers.

...The guitar case! He hadn't so much as mentioned it even once; maybe it was just for show – some kind of indirect attempt to appear like even more of a catch than he already was – so maybe that was the answer to her predicament!

_-You DO realise how crazy you sound, right?-_ the traitorous voice pointed out dryly only to be ignored again as she went ahead with her desperate plan. “By the way, um, what's with the guitar case? You're not hiding even more food in there, are you?” she added jokingly as a cover.

“What? Shoot, I totally forgot. Thanks for reminding me about that.” Far from acting like someone whose ruse had been exposed, Mike scrambled for the guitar case and carefully extracted the instrument. “I know the... well, deal, I guess... was just for the picnic but your bid kind of made my basket the most expensive one so I felt like I had to add a little something extra to show my appreciation for your generosity. Fair warning though: I'm a little rusty and I only remember a few songs since it's been a while so feel free to laugh if I get some of the notes wrong.”

...Maybe he would reveal himself to be a terrible singer who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket to save his life. Or his guitar playing would sound like nails on a chalkboard. “...Sure.”

That flimsy hope died the moment he started strumming and singing – out of all the songs in the world he could have chosen – Love Me Do by The Beatles without messing up a single note or word and she could only give him her honest praise at the end.

If she concentrated hard enough, Kara was sure that she would be able to hear Eve cackling fiendishly as she pulled a muscle patting herself on the back.

By the time the last tasty morsel had been consumed and she was helping him pack up the now empty containers and flask, she knew she was in deep trouble.

“Don't take this the wrong way but I really wasn't expecting to go home without any leftovers,” Mike chuckled as he walked her to her car.

She flushed at the good-natured teasing, suddenly self-conscious about her voracious appetite which her family and friends loved to compare to a black hole. “I couldn't help myself, okay? Everything looked and smelled so good that I didn't want to let anything go to waste!”

Her defensive response caused him to let out a full-bellied laugh that made the butterflies currently living in her stomach even more agitated. “Thanks, I guess, and I'll take that as a huge compliment.”

_-If you're not going to ask him to marry you right this second, at least have the good sense to see if he's interested in a second date.-_

For the first time since she had met Mike, Kara decided to listen to the traitorous voice although she did pointedly ignore the first part of its statement. “S-So, um.” She cleared her throat and hoped she wasn't blushing as hard as she thought. “C-Can we... Do you want to do this again?”

One of his eyebrows arched and there was an undeniable twinkle of mischief in his blue-grey eyes. “What, you mean put together a picnic basket for a blind auction charity event and wait for you to bid on it?”

“Wh- _No!_ ” She fumed and her cheeks burned even hotter than before as he burst into laughter which didn't stop even when she smacked his arm. “Don't tease me! You know what I meant!”

“Yes, I did.” He stopped laughing and gave her a smile that was equal parts shy and hopeful. “And yes, I do.”

This was the perfect opportunity to try and give him a taste of his own medicine but she was too excited at his reply to even think about it. “R-Really?”

“Yeah.” The twinkle in his eyes returned. “I'll even cook for you again if you prefer that to eating at a restaurant.”

Needless to say, she graciously took him up on his offer.


	14. resounding pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: Sarah
> 
> Prompt: "PiaD-compliant future fic, Mon-El is on Earth and suffers PTSD on the 4th of July from the fireworks; Kara has to console him"
> 
> Notes: Once again, I've removed a spoiler element or two but otherwise this fits seamlessly into the PiaD-verse. Also, new length record! ...I attribute it to what I'm going to call the PiaD curse...

The explosions violently yank Mon-El back into the waking world and he jerks halfway out of his bed at the cacophony, heart racing and mind only capable of one thought:

Daxam is dying.

Bal-Seg. He has to find Bal-Seg. And Hal-Ed. Nes'th. They have to run. They have to find a way off the planet. His shuttle. Where did he dock his shuttle? No, it's not big enough. He has to find something bigger. He has to-

Strong hands grasp his thrashing limbs as he blindly tries to disentangle himself from his sheets and the weight of the body of the person they belong to presses down on him.

His first instinct is to try and throw them off, whoever they are – Why are they trying to stop him? Do they want to die? Do they want _him_ to die along with everyone else? – but something from the depths of his soul stops Mon-El. He knows this touch – craves it, even – and through the thundering of his own heart he can faintly hear an equally familiar voice urgently calling his name.

There is concern, undeniably, and another emotion underneath that he instinctively recognises even in his current state.

He blinks once, twice, and the death and destruction of his home planet falls away.

This is not his bedroom in the royal palace and Daxam is not falling around him in the brightness of Rao's light; instead, he is in a small apartment on Earth, shrouded in the darkness of night.

Most importantly, above him is not just anyone but Kara, her moonlit features lined with distress borne of worry – worry for him, he somehow manages to realise through the slowly receding panic that still has him in its vice-like grip.

Guilt leaks into the chaos clouding his mind, something that naturally doesn't go unnoticed by her if the way she's looking at him is any indication. (It only makes the guilt worsen.) “Hey.” She gives him a faint smile that doesn't reach her brilliant blue eyes as she raises one of her hands to gently cradle his face. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine.” The lie falls out of his mouth before he can think twice which he does when she sees right through it and predictably gets even more worried. “Better now,” he amends, giving her the best attempt at a smile that he can muster at the moment. “Sorry I woke you up.”

“It's fine,” she reassures him with a shake of her head as she moves off his broad torso so that he can sit up while she kneels on the bed. Instead of fully letting him go, however, her left hand drifts down to clasp his right one and squeeze it comfortingly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She's leaving it up to him even though it's obvious she's burning with questions and as always that is all he needs to feel comfortable enough to tell her everything. “I... There was the sound of explosions or something that sounded similar outside.” He scrubs his face with his free hand and tries to will the rest of the tension in his body to bleed away. “It... It made me think I was back on Daxam.”

Confusion flickers across her face for a second before realisation takes its place and she lets out a soft curse as she casts her gaze in the direction of the window. “Most likely fireworks for the Fourth of July celebration – you know, the one marking this country's independence. I'm sorry, I should have warned you to expect that.”

“...But it's not even July yet,” he blurts out, more than a little confused; it had admittedly taken longer than he had expected to get used to experiencing the flow of time again but he's been diligent about keeping track of Earth's calendar.

“I know.” There is a hint of aggravation in her voice as she massages her temples with her free hand. “Some humans just have too much money to spare and can't be bothered to wait until the day itself. Or they might just be bored.”

Before he can even think up a weak quip to try and lighten the mood, another round of explosions- no, fireworks goes off somewhere in the neighbourhood and he flinches. Her hand tightens its grip on his instantly, and while he still feels like his lungs have temporarily forgotten how to draw in air the simple gesture is enough to keep the memories at bay. “Sorry.” It's weak and all but worthless but he rasps the apology all the same. “I know it's not something that should be affecting me so much and it seems a bit stupid-”

“It's not,” she cuts him off, an edge in her voice that is mirrored in her eyes as she looks at him before glaring at the window once again. If anything, she looks even angrier now – possibly angry enough to go out there and find the culprit so she can give them a piece of her mind.

Maybe it's wrong but her over-protectiveness helps him to calm down and when he smiles at her this time it's at least partly genuine. “Thanks, Kara. I'm feeling better now. It's okay.”

She lets out an aggrieved noise and her next words make clear why. “No it's not, Mon-El. This isn't going to be a one-off incident. If anything, there are probably going to be more fireworks going off the closer we get to the actual date and that's not even counting the actual celebration itself.”

“Oh.” He's not sure how he'd missed that detail although he supposes he just hadn't wanted to think about it. Denial is a powerful thing – he knows that all too well from first-hand experience. “...I'll figure something out,” he finally ventures when the silence stretches on for too long – which is funny since isn't silence what he wants right now? – as he turns his hand so that he can squeeze hers instead. “Don't worry about me.”

* * *

In Mon-El's defence, he tries, he really does, whatever that's worth.

Unfortunately for him, it's not nearly enough.

His idea to sleep with his sound dampeners on reveals its downsides all too quickly; the absolute silence proves unsettling, causing sleep to elude him, and his endeavour to not toss and turn and subsequently deny Kara her sleep as well makes things even worse. (It turns out she's not the only one who derives comfort from the sound of one very specific and familiar heartbeat even when its owner is quite literally all but glued to their side.)

Nevertheless, he perseveres out of a reluctance to impose on her any more than he already has but only makes it two nights before she catches on.

“You haven't been sleeping,” she accuses, half angry at him for trying to hide it from her and half worried out of her mind about his well-being. “Why didn't you tell me it wasn't working?”

“I didn't want to worry you,” he replies automatically which is the truth except that naturally just makes things worse. “Sorry, I just... I figured that maybe it would work if I just tried harder.”

“Well, it's obviously not working at all so we need to figure out something that actually _does_ ,” she counters in a voice that makes it clear there's no room for argument.

The solution they come up with in the end is for him to pick up night shifts at the bar until the Fourth of July is safely behind him. Occupied with work and having his enhanced hearing inundated by music, conversations and the other usual noise, there is little to no chance of him hearing a single stray firework.

He hates it.

Night shifts mean no falling asleep and waking up with Kara when he'd promised her they would always do that. It also means no patrolling with her which makes _him_ worry about _her_ in turn despite knowing that she can take care of herself.

But it's all for his sake so he just has to deal with it... just as he has to deal with the guilt he feels over being the cause of this entire situation.

It's moments like this where he can't stop himself from thinking that she deserves someone better – someone she doesn't need to keep fixing over and over again because he's just too _broken_. He's supposed to be strong for her while she's being strong for everyone else so if he can't do that then what good is he?

“Sorry.” He's been saying that a lot lately, he realises. “I know I'm being a burden-”

The severe look she levels at him is enough to silence him. “You are _not_ a burden, Mon-El – not to anyone and especially not to _me_ – and I don't _ever_ want to hear you say that again. Understand?”

“Understood,” he replies meekly, feeling guiltier than before although he's smart enough to realise it would do no one any good to say that out loud.

She's still all but glaring at him which suggests she knows anyway and is resisting the urge to maybe hit him or worse. “Do you have another shift on the Fourth of July?” she asks instead after a long tense period of silence.

The unexpected question throws him so much it takes him a few seconds to reply. “Uh, yes?”

Her brow furrows. “Can you back out of it? Maybe swap shifts with someone else?”

“...I could... I mean, it's pretty much an extra shift so there shouldn't be a problem...” To say he's confused would be an understatement. “Kara, I don't understand. Wasn't that the plan?”

“Plans can change,” she responds cryptically before her expression softens and she leans in to press her lips against his. “Just see if you can do it and trust me. Please?”

His trust is one of the many things he has given her completely and he's never been able to say no when she asks him like that so of course he says yes. Even so, Mon-El can't stop himself from feeling a little anxious as the dreaded day creeps closer and closer until it's finally here.

Out of everything he'd expected, it certainly isn't being gently shoved into the bathroom with a fresh change of clothes late afternoon along with a polite request to be quick with his bath. Whatever Kara's plan is, it seems she intends for it to be a surprise so he keeps quiet and complies although he thinks it's only fair to feel a little bewildered by her actions.

That confusion only grows when he is then herded into the passenger seat of J'onn's disguised spaceship and Kara wastes no time getting behind the wheel. By the time it's clear she's actually driving them out of National City, he's bursting with questions while simultaneously too nervous to actually ask them.

He reaches his limit when she only stops on the edge of a field in the middle of nowhere with the city far behind them and night has started to darken the sky. “Kara, what are we doing here?”

“Putting some much-needed distance between us and any fireworks that might be going off tonight,” she explains as she retrieves a folded blanket from the back seat. “Even with our enhanced hearing, none of that racket should reach us.”

“But what if there's an emergency?” he asks, panicked. “What if something happens while we're not there?”

“J'onn and Alex have things covered but they'll call if they think we're needed. Until and unless that happens, we're to be left alone.” She kneels on the blanket she's spread out on the grass and beckons. “Mon-El, come here.”

He obeys – how could he not when she asks him like that with that look on her face? – and lets her nudge him until he's flat on his back and she's lying next to him with her eyes closed.

Relaxing, however, feels like a little too much to ask for even when she's the one doing the asking.

“...Kara-”

“Stop,” she whispers and opens her eyes to regard him with a mixture of emotions he's not sure if he's capable of deciphering in his current state. “No more apologies. Not about this.”

“But you're doing all this for me. _Because_ of me.” He can hear the pain in his own voice so he doubts she's missed it. “I just... It doesn't feel right.”

He half expects her to get mad at him again but what she says next takes him completely by surprise. “I saw Krypton's destruction. Did I ever tell you that?”

“...No, you didn't.” The first and last time they ever talked about the day their worlds had ended, she had still been a twelve-year-old girl he was only just starting to get to know. It makes sense for her to bring it up now but he still can't quite believe it.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them again although she trains them on his chest instead of his face, and her pain – still so potent after all these years – is evident in the shine of those blue orbs. “Kal-El's pod launched first so it wasn't affected by the... explosion. But mine was. The shockwave and the debris caused my pod to spin around and...”

“You don't have to,” he whispers when the strain in her voice becomes too pronounced to ignore.

That causes her to meet his gaze and sure enough, there's the indomitable strength she's always had even at her lowest point. “I want to. Especially today.” She takes another deep breath. “I... I couldn't hear it but the sight... The fireworks remind me of that.”

Just like that, he understands. “You mean...”

“I'm not very fond of this celebration either,” she confesses with a faint smile. “It's just not the noise that gets to me. And every time it's come around in the years before this, I've gone to sleep early so I could see you instead.”

Even though he's known for over a decade of an eternity that she finds comfort by simply being with him, her admission still makes his heart feel like it's expanding and constricting all at once. “I... I'm glad I could help.”

She hums non-committally and lifts the hand resting on his chest to trace his jaw with the tips of her fingers. “You did. Just like you are now. Do you understand?”

'We're in this together. Just like always.' “I do.”

“Good.” He's familiar with all her kisses by now, and the one she presses against his lips is filled with gratitude. (And love. Always, always love.) “Now sleep.”

He does and so does she not long after, and the stars and the gods watch over them until they finally rise from their dreamless slumber with the yellow sun.


	15. kids say the smartest things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: korviscapetrova
> 
> Prompt: "Mike is a kindergarten teacher and Kara has a little girl there"
> 
> Notes: I hope you don't mind but I tweaked the prompt a little to fit the idea it spawned in my head. Also, I don't know if there's a universally accepted fanon name for Karamel kids so I just picked the name of the protagonist of my new favourite show, lol.

There was nothing – absolutely nothing – in the world that Kara would trade for the simple but profound privilege of being a mother.

Getting pregnant had hardly been part of her university plans, of course, and she would be lying if she said that everything after that had been easy. If it weren't for the support she had received from her family, she wasn't sure how she would have managed to cope.

But the moment the nurse had placed the tiny bundled form of her daughter in her arms, Kara knew that it had all been worth it.

Not even the absolute uselessness of the stupid jackass who had knocked her up – she refused to give him the honour of referring to him as the father of her child, much less call him by his name even in the privacy of her head – could make her think of her little Abigail as anything but the best thing in her life.

Some days, however... Some days she really wished she had someone with whom she could share all the responsibilities that came with parenthood.

Abigail was thankfully an incredibly well-behaved child and both of her grandparents helped out however and whenever they could but there was no denying that Kara's life was still hectic to say the least. Preparing meals, working, making and meeting appointments... Every single day felt like a mad dash from one place or activity to the next until she finally collapsed on her bed and gladly surrendered herself to the realm of dreams.

Then morning would come and the cycle would begin anew.

She lowered her head to rest on her steering wheel and let out an exhausted sigh. Snapper had hounded her endlessly the whole day and even forced her to rewrite her article twice. As a result, she'd left the office late and some admittedly crazy driving had been needed to get her to the kindergarten within the established pickup time.

Hopefully Abigail hadn't been waiting for too long all by herself; her daughter would understand but Kara was still going to find a way to make it up to her regardless.

Her mind preoccupied with trying to remember whether they still had ice cream in their fridge or not, it took Kara a moment after having spotted Abigail to realise her daughter was talking to a bespectacled man kneeling in front of her.

A man she had never seen before.

Immediately, Kara's fatigue evaporated and her protective motherly instincts went into overdrive. Who was this guy? He definitely wasn't one of the staff; she'd met everyone from Director Jones to Lawrence the janitor. Another parent? No, she knew practically all the fathers, married and single, who sent their children to this kindergarten.

Whoever he was, she was very sure he had no business being so friendly with her daughter.

“Abigail!” Kara kept her tone light and cheery as she approached the two with a smile on her face; if this man was dangerous, the last thing she wanted was to alert him and put her daughter in danger. “There you are. I'm really sorry I'm late; I got held up at work but I drove as fast as I could.”

“Mommy!” Abigail squealed joyfully the moment she saw Kara and ran over to hug her mother. “It's okay, Mommy; Mr Matthews here stayed with me.”

“You must be Abigail's mother, Ms Danvers,” the man – whose name was apparently Mr Matthews – spoke up then, drawing Kara's attention back to him whereupon she found him on his feet and smiling quite warmly at her. “I know you don't really need anyone to tell you this but you have a very smart and wonderful daughter there.”

“Um, thank you,” Kara replied awkwardly, unsure how she was supposed to behave now that it seemed as if he wasn't a threat to Abigail but she still had no real idea who he was. “I'm sorry, who are you again?”

“Oh, sorry. I seem to have forgotten my manners.” His smile turned sheepish and he adjusted his glasses before offering her a handshake. “Mike Matthews. Mr Lockwood called in sick today so Director Jones called me in to substitute for him.”

Kara relaxed at his explanation and shook his hand, aware that Director Jones would not have allowed just anyone to work at his kindergarten unless he had thoroughly vetted them. “Oh, I see. Thank you for taking care of my daughter and I'm sorry for inconveniencing you.”

“It was no trouble,” he assured her. “In fact, I think I'm the one who should be grateful she chose me to keep her company while she was waiting for you.”

“Mr Matthews said I was his best student,” Abigail chose that moment to tell Kara quite proudly.

“That's because you were,” he laughed as he playfully tousled Abigail's hair, eliciting a burst of giggles from the girl. “Don't tell anyone else but you made the prettiest painting out of everyone in class today.”

A strange and unfamiliar warmth started spreading in Kara's chest as she silently watched the two of them interact. Now that she had confirmed that Mr Matthews was someone she could trust, she was starting to notice other things about him... such as how cute he was. Which really was not something she should be paying any attention to... but then again, the last time she'd gone on a date had been at least two years ago and it had ended... badly.

 _God you're desperate_ , she thought to herself with a mixture of embarrassment and misery. _Is that really all it takes? Good looks and not being a danger to Abigail?_

 _-In case you've forgotten, you're a single mother with eyes and a pulse-_ , a voice at the back of her head reminded her dryly. _-There's no harm in a little... window-shopping. Besides, Abigail seems to like him and weren't you the one who once told Alex that you'd never so much as consider dating someone who can't get along with your daughter?-_

Deciding that it was in her best interests to leave before she did or said something mortifying, Kara gave him her best attempt at a casual smile as she grasped Abigail's hand and took a step towards the door. “A-Anyway, thank you again, Mr Matthews, but we should probably get going already.”

“Oh, right. Sorry for keeping you. It was nice meeting you, Ms Danvers, and you too, Abigail!” he saw them off with a bright smile and a friendly wave.

“I like Mr Matthews,” Abigail announced the moment they started their journey home.

Smiling, Kara chanced a glance at her daughter in the rear view mirror. “Well, he does seem like a very nice man after all.”

The smile on Abigail's face disappeared and was replaced with a pout. “I wish he wasn't our teacher for just one day. He's more fun than Mr Lockwood. I wish I could see him again.”

“Maybe you will, sweetheart,” Kara tried to console her daughter. “Mr Jones might ask him to come teach you again if Mr Lockwood or another one of your teachers falls sick sometime in the future.”

“I guess so...” Abigail kept pouting before she lit up all of a sudden. “Mommy, what if I marry Mr Matthews? Then I'll get to see him every day, right?”

Kara sent up a silent prayer of thanks to whichever god was listening that she had stopped at a red light when Abigail had asked that question. “Yes but you're too young to marry anyone, okay? Not even if it's Mr Matthews.”

“Oh.” Her 'brilliant' idea gently shot down, Abigail went back to pouting for a while before her mood brightened once again. “How about _you_ marry him then, Mommy?”

This time, Kara was unfortunately driving and therefore nearly crashed her car into a light pole.

(Of course, Abigail became the happiest girl in the world when her mother listened to her advice just a couple of years later.)


	16. never saw it coming (yet again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: akane171
> 
> Prompt: "Sequel to the second part of the martial arts lessons AU; Kara finally invites Mike inside"
> 
> Notes: Here's me promoting my new favourite show because it deserves more love (alsoI'mplanningtostartwritingficforitsothere'sthattoo).

Invite Mike inside.

On paper, it seemed like such a simple thing... and yet every single time the opportunity to do just that crossed Kara's path, she chickened out and let it pass her by.

Possibly the worst part of it was that she couldn't come up with a decent excuse to give even herself as to why it was so hard.

They'd been officially together for several months now and saw each other at least once a week in some capacity or other. Aside from the self defence lessons she'd somewhat cautiously continued, they occasionally met up for breakfast and lunch whenever their work schedules allowed for it. (One time, he had surprised her at her office with Chinese take-out and more than a few envious stares had been directed her way the whole time he'd been there.)

Then of course there were the dinner dates which always ended with him insisting on walking or driving her home... and each one represented a chance that she never failed to squander. All because she was too nervous about where things might lead once they were inside or even if they would lead anywhere. (The latter outcome was something she really didn't want to consider because even the mere thought of it was just too disheartening.)

_Next time_ , she always told herself with no small amount of despair as she curled up in a ball of self-inflicted misery alone on her couch after he'd left. _I'll invite him inside next time._

And then the next time she had the chance, she would squander it all over again. The fact that she already knew this would happen and she only had herself to blame for it made her even more miserable.

Luckily for Kara, whatever divine forces were watching her sabotage the advancement of her own relationship time and time again finally decided to intervene.

* * *

They were on their way back to Kara's apartment after yet another pleasant dinner date when the skies suddenly opened up and dumped a small ocean's worth of water on their heads.

Being the gentleman that he was, Mike's immediate reaction was to take off his jacket and throw it over her head before they made a mad dash to their destination. Luckily, they were already close when the torrential downpour had started so even he was still relatively dry when they stopped to catch their breaths in the lobby.

“Well, that doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon,” he commented with a sigh as he surveyed the curtain of water just beyond the entrance of her apartment building. “At least I won't be waiting while soaked to the bone, I guess.”

She froze at his casual aside as the full implications of his words sank in. This was it. This was another chance to invite him inside except it was even better because she had a perfectly viable excuse that would (hopefully) hide the fact that she had an ulterior motive. “S-Since you can't exactly go anywhere right now,” she started, hoping she wasn't blushing too hard, “why don't you... um, wait in my apartment instead of here? We don't know how long it'll be before it finally stops raining and you'll at least be more comfortable at my place.”

“Are you sure?” he asked dubiously. “I don't want to impose...”

If she shook her head any harder, she was vaguely sure it would fall off. “N-No, I really don't mind, I promise. Oh! Um, here.” Having finally realised she was still holding on to his jacket, she awkwardly held it out for him to take back.

“Thanks. For returning my jacket even if you didn't need to-” he winked cheekily at that but his smile turned sincere before she could complain about his teasing, “-and for the offer. I really appreciate it.”

“I-It's nothing, really,” she protested feebly as they ascended the stairs. “I mean, I _am_ your... you know, girlfriend so, um, making sure you don't die of pneumonia or boredom is kind of the least I should be doing.”

If he noticed her putting a label to their relationship for the first time or the way she'd hesitated before saying that particular word, he didn't show it. “Well, when you put it like that, I can't really argue, can I?” he chuckled. “Still, I feel like I should... I don't know, pay you back for it somehow?”

_-Oh, I can think of one way you could show your gratitude...-_

Kara tripped and nearly fell flat on her face at the scandalous suggestion from the voice at the back of her head. Only the firm grip on her arm prevented her from suffering any injuries – at least any to her body because her ego was another story – and she was beyond grateful he couldn't see her expression right then.

“Whoa there!” came Mike's alarmed exclamation. “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just... lost my footing there for a second,” she tried to laugh off her blunder even as she cringed internally at how unconvincing she sounded. “Uh, look! We're here!”

His eyebrow arched but he thankfully didn't say anything as she intentionally busied herself first with fishing her keys out of her bag to unlock her front door and then almost throwing said door wide open. “Nice place,” he whistled appreciatively as he surveyed her apartment. “Very... you, if that makes sense.”

“Thanks. I think.” Doing her best not to fidget and failing, she gestured in the general direction of her living area. “S-So. Um. Make yourself at home. Do you... uh, want a drink?”

He shook his head and gave her a warm smile. “I'm good, thanks.”

“Oh. Um.” She floundered for a little longer before spitting out the first thing that came to mind. “H-How about watching something while you wait? With me, I mean. Or alone. I don't want to-”

“Kara,” he cut her off with a barely suppressed laugh. “I think it would be pretty rude if I hogged your TV all to myself even if – or rather _especially_ since – I'm your boyfriend. And that sounds like a great plan. Did you have a show or movie in mind?”

It was ridiculous but him saying 'boyfriend' made her heart do a somersault and weirdly helped ease her nerves a little. “Well, I downloaded that show you were talking about the other day... unless you want to watch something you haven't seen before...?”

“You mean Swamp Thing?” His smile and tone was full of pleasant surprise. “I thought you said you weren't a fan of horror.”

She shrugged and tried not to fidget again. “Well I'm not but you made it sound kind of interesting so I thought I'd give it a try.” There had also been that ridiculously cliché plan her brain had hatched a couple of weeks ago that had gone nowhere due to it requiring her to actually invite him inside in the first place for her to enact it but she wasn't about to reveal that.

“Okay then.” When she looked up to meet his gaze, his smile had become impossibly wider. “If it helps, I'll warn you before anything particularly scary or gory happens so you'll know when to close your eyes.”

“I'll hold you to that,” she warned him playfully and set it up before settling down on the couch next to him.

Any thoughts about keeping the atmosphere casual until she worked up the courage to maybe hold his hand flew straight out the window when he casually put his arm around her shoulders.

After that, a man could have been ripped to pieces in gruesome detail on her television screen and she wouldn't even have noticed.

“Kara?”

The sound of her name snapped her back to reality only for her to realise two things.

First: Either one or both of them had somehow reduced the remaining distance that had existed between them at the start of the show to nothingness.

Second: He was looking at her in a way that was making her heart thump so loudly she was almost sure he could hear it.

“Y-Yeah?” she croaked.

The grin spreading across his face was a teasing one but the gleam in those blue-grey orbs communicated something else entirely. “I'm fairly sure you can't control the weather so I know you're not responsible for that part but did you choose this show in particular so we'd end up right where we are now?”

She gawked, wide-eyed at having been figured out so easily, and spent a few seconds opening and closing her mouth silently while her face reddened before she finally found her voice again. “...N-No...?”

His laugh was low and slightly rough and made her stomach imitate a landed fish. “You're crinkling,” he pointed out and kissed her before she could begin to deny his indirect accusation.

Needless to say, he only left the next morning – after making her breakfast, of course – and they had to watch the show again from the very beginning.


	17. what happens in Vegas...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: mondayglasses
> 
> Prompt: "Schottmacher and Karamel get drunk, go to Vegas and get married"
> 
> Note: Once again, I present evidence I'm almost incapable of writing anything short...

A marching band was having a full dress rehearsal in her skull.

At least, that was the best that Kara's sluggish brain could offer as an explanation for the throbbing pain. Not even the blissful comfort of the very fluffy pillow underneath her head could help with that... or muffle every sound in the world which was _really annoyingly loud_ right now.

Groaning, she forced her eyes to open only to almost immediately squeeze them shut again when blinding light was her reward for her efforts. The stabbing pain made her headache worse and elicited a pitiful whine out of her. Why had she woken up again? And why couldn't she just go back to sleep and escape all this suffering?

She tried, pulling her pillow out from under her head and using it to shut out all the light and sound, but it was no use; both the pounding and racket persisted until she finally gave up and attempted to brave the morning even as she did her best to remember how the hell she had ended up like this. Eve had suggested going to Vegas for the weekend to celebrate Winn's recent promotion and both Mike and Kara had naturally agreed since they wanted to mark the occasion with their close friend.

Unfortunately, everything after they had checked into their hotel was a blur. There were drinks – which would explain the almost lethal hangover she was having right now – and some gambling... Mike had won a tidy sum in a lucky streak at the roulette table... More drinking... Then nothing.

God, why did she feel like she was forgetting something really important?

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she raised her left hand to press it to her still throbbing forehead-

-only to get momentarily blinded by an unexpected glint on said hand.

She squinted uncomprehendingly at the glint and blinked a few times in the hope that it would help.

Then she realised what she was looking at with a sense of dawning horror and her hangover magically vanished.

Dread descended upon her as she began noticing other things like how she was naked under the sheets... and, as she turned her head slowly to her side, that there was someone else in bed with her.

Usually, she took every opportunity to ogle her boyfriend's very nice bare chest which sometimes doubled as her pillow... but Kara found herself struggling to do that this one time.

Mostly because her attention was focused on a shiny item on the ring finger of his left hand – a certain item that was identical to the source of the glint on her own left hand.

All of a sudden, Kara had a very strong sinking feeling she knew at least one of the events that had happened during that giant hole in her memory.

“ _Mike._ ” She shook him with as much energy as she could muster. “Mike, _wake up_. WAKE. UP. _RIGHT. NOW._ ”

A pained groan was the first sign of life that he gave, and just as she had several minutes ago, he blearily opened his eyes for a split second only to snap them shut again. “Kara? Oh god, why is it so bright in here?”

There was a small sympathetic part of her that wanted to give him time to get his bearings and all that but it was vetoed by her panic. “Mike, look at your left hand.”

“My left hand?” he echoed confusedly even as he sluggishly lifted said hand to his face. “What about-” He immediately fell silent when he realised what was around his ring finger and with wide eyes slowly turned to face her again.

She wordlessly held up her left hand.

Those blue-grey eyes she loved so much got that little bit bigger.

“Oh,” was all he managed.

“Yeah. 'Oh',” she repeated dryly.

Before their monosyllabic conversation could go any further, they were startled by the sound of a stampede approaching the connecting door linking their hotel room to its neighbour. Kara only had a second to realise what was going to happen and dived back under the sheets with a panicked squeak before there was a telltale beep and the connecting door was thrown wide open.

Standing in the doorway with a thunderous expression was none other than Eve who managed to look threatening even when she was clearly wearing nothing but a sheet. Behind her, a pale-faced Winn was squeaking her name while his hands maintained a desperate grip on the towel haphazardly wrapped around his waist which was similarly quite possibly the only thing he was wearing.

“ _TELL ME_ ,” she all but roared at Kara and Mike who flinched at the assault on their already suffering eardrums. “ _TELL ME YOU TWO DIDN'T GET MARRIED WHILE YOU WERE DRUNK LAST NIGHT._ ”

Rendered mute by fear of their impending deaths, Kara and Mike slowly held up their left hands even as they attempted to disappear into the bed.

Dead silence followed.

Then Eve let out an unholy shriek that caused the other three present to clap their hands over their ears. (In Winn's case, he ended up dropping his towel but luckily no one was looking and he managed to cover himself back up again before anyone noticed.)

“ _ANNUL THAT._ ” The way she was pointing at the couple in bed along with her expression brought to mind some mythical god who was about to bring down divine retribution on their puny mortal heads. “GET THAT ANNULLED _IMMEDIATELY_. I REFUSE TO LET THE TWO OF YOU GET DRUNK-MARRIED _IN VEGAS_ WHERE I MISS THE CHANCE TO BE A PROPER MAID OF HONOUR AND CAN'T RECORD EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF THE OCCASION. GET DRESSED.” She whirled around to pin her own boyfriend with her deadly gaze, causing him to let out a terrified squeak and shrink into himself. “WINN! COME WITH ME. WE'RE GOING TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN _UN_ -MARRY THEM _NOW_.”

With that, she slammed the connecting door shut, leaving Kara and Mike blessedly alone once again... technically speaking, at least.

“E-Eve! W-Wait!” Winn's piteous voice could still be heard on the other side. “ _We_ got married too! What are we going to do about that?!”

Kara wanted to feel sorry for him, she really did, but her own situation felt dire enough and with the way Eve was behaving about the whole thing, every moment of respite was welcome.

Her thoughts on what she was supposed to do next were interrupted by a wretched groan coming from her side and she turned to find Mike staring at his ring with an utterly miserable look on his face.

“Man,” he muttered dejectedly to himself as if he'd forgotten she was right there, “I can't believe we got _married_ of all things...”

His words were like a bucket of ice cold water that had just gotten dumped right on her head. They'd been dating for over two years already and had even moved in together – mostly in the name of convenience but still – so there had been moments where she had tentatively thought about and even occasionally daydreamed of where she saw their relationship heading.

Apparently he didn't share her sentiments.

Suddenly she wished she was anywhere else and even cursed Eve for having suggested they come to Vegas in the first place.

“Right.” Her voice sounded strange to her own ears and she turned away from him so that he couldn't see that she was on the verge of crying. “Since it's clear you hate this so much, let's just hurry up and get it over with.”

“What? Hey wait.” He sounded confused as his hand – his left hand of all things – wrapped around her arm, stopping her from leaving the bed and gently trying to coax her into looking at him again. “Kara, what's wrong? What did you mean by that?”

Blinking away her tears, she reluctantly turned back towards him and tried to maintain a facade of relative indifference. “You've made it clear you don't want to... to be married to me so it just makes sense to get... It'll probably be easy to undo so we should-”

“Whoa, whoa. Wait. Hold on.” He squeezed his eyes shut and dragged his free hand down his face. “Kara, why are you saying stuff like that? Where are you getting all this?”

His obtuseness made her snap despite her desire to escape her current situation without creating a scene. “You just implied a minute ago that getting married to me was like... like... the _worst_ thing that could have ever happened to you!”

“ _What?_ When did I imply that?!”

“It's the way you said, and I quote, 'I can't believe we got _married_ of all things'!”

“ _That's because I wanted to do it properly, okay?!_ ”

For an indeterminate amount of time, the two of them just stared at each other in complete silence.

“...W-What?” Kara barely managed to get out, unsure she'd heard him correctly, and watched as he pulled his hand back and dropped his head in regret.

Mike said nothing for a long time and she was just about to ask him to clarify himself when he finally spoke again. “I've been trying to find the right moment to propose to you for the past month.”

Her heart did a weird flip-floppy thing. “Y-You have?” she stuttered.

He nodded, the very picture of misery. “But something would come up every single time I'd worked up the courage so I kept thinking that I should just wait for the next moment to come except that would get ruined too somehow and then I started wondering if you'd even say yes-”

“Yes,” she blurted out in a rush.

That stopped his rambling in its tracks, and when he lifted his head to finally meet her gaze his expression was one of confusion. “...What?”

“I would've said yes.” The lead weight in her stomach had turned into a swarm of agitated butterflies by then. “It wouldn't have mattered if you'd asked in a fancy restaurant or our living room; I would've said yes.”

Ever so slowly, the disbelief on his face turned into awed wonder. “You would?”

If she smiled any wider, she was sure she was going to pull a facial muscle she couldn't even pronounce. “Well, I obviously said yes while I was drunk as a skunk last night, didn't I?” she pointed out as she waved her left hand in the air.

The grey in his eyes gave way to blue as he started grinning teasingly at her. “In all fairness, you say a lot of crazy things when you're drunk.”

“Wh- _I do not!_ ”

“Oh really? What about that time you started claiming you were secretly an alien with superpowers?”

“T-That's a lie and you don't have any proof to back that up!”

“Sure about that? Because I think Winn recorded it so all we need to do is ask him...”

“ _Mike!_ ” Blushing with a mixture of embarrassment and put-on anger, she smacked him but to no avail because that just made him laugh out loud. When she stepped up her efforts, he simply grabbed her wrists so that he could pin her to the bed and kiss her until she forgot why she had been mad at him.

She didn't, however, forget their overall situation.

“Let's get this marriage annulled,” she murmured when they had caught their breaths.

His eyes snapped wide open and he pulled away, stunned. “What? But I thought-”

“I meant it,” she insisted, wriggling one hand free of his now loose grip so that she could cup his face. “But I want it all done properly too. I want to actually have and remember every moment of getting married to you instead of it just being the result of some black-out drunk decision-making in Vegas.”

He smiled again, the happiness in his eyes brighter than the sun. “I want that too.”

It had seemed impossible and yet somehow she found herself even happier than she had been less than a minute ago. “Good.” She pulled him in for another kiss before playfully shoving him off. “Now get dressed. The sooner we get this marriage annulled, the sooner we can get married for real.”

(He proposed within the week and the wedding was a beautiful ceremony worth remembering from start to end.)

(Eve was naturally the maid of honour.)


	18. surrender to the music (again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: evetessmacher
> 
> Prompt: "Sequel to the Schottmacher wedding AU; Eve teasing Kara and Mike about how right she was about them"
> 
> Notes: I've heard that Schottmacher is the ship name for Winn/Eve but I can't be sure so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

The plan had been to keep their relationship a secret for as long as possible – until after Eve and Winn had gotten married, gone for their honeymoon and come back at the very least – and they had followed that plan to the letter for the most part. Whenever they'd gotten just a bit careless, luck had been on their side and Eve had miraculously never caught them despite watching them like a hawk at every possible moment.

But then that kiss in his car just before they had gone inside for the rehearsal dinner had happened... and their luck had run out.

“This is your fault,” Kara growled under her breath as she glared holes in the innocent table napkin in front of her instead of her intended target which was the man sitting by her side.

Mike hid his bemused smirk by taking a sip from his wine glass. “Last I checked, you're just as guilty as I am for us being in this situation so that's not true at all. In fact, if I remember correctly, _you're_ the one who started that little incident in the car so I'd say it's more your fault than it is mine.”

She ground her teeth but chose not to respond, all too aware that what he'd said was the objective truth and denying it would be futile since her crinkle would just betray her. (How the hell had he managed to figure out that tell of hers so quickly?! It wasn't fair!) “W-Well, I just intended for it to be a quick kiss; _you're_ the one who decided that wasn't enough for you and wanted more!” she hissed, desperate for any way to pin the blame on him.

Far from being chastened by her counterargument, he just smirked that little bit wider and didn't even bother to try and hide it this time. “Guilty as charged... but in my defence, kissing you is one of the best things in the world and you didn't exactly make any effort to stop me so once again you're going to have to accept your share of the blame as well.”

Heat coloured her cheeks. Damn him. Damn him and his... his... utterly _infuriating_ smooth-talking self. What made things worse was the fact that she knew he meant it in earnest and not just in terms of the incendiary physical attraction that pulled them together like magnets; what she saw in those captivating blue-grey orbs after every kiss, chaste or passionate, spoke volumes about how he felt about her. It was ridiculous; they'd only met face to face for the first time just a few months ago and been together for much less than that but somehow it felt like... like that didn't matter to him at all.

But if she was being perfectly honest with herself – which she could somewhat manage to do in the privacy of her own head, at least – it didn't really matter to her either.

Not once – not after their first make out session in his apartment, not after he'd stayed the night at her place for the first time, not after every other relationship first in between and after – had the thought that this was just some fun casual fling crossed her mind. Sure, she had on certain occasions worried that maybe they were moving a little too fast and that meant this thing between them wouldn't last but the way she felt about him... She'd never felt like this with anyone else before and that actually scared her a little.

“What, no comeback?” he asked, rudely dragging her out of her thoughts in the process, and when she took notice of him again there was a hint of curiosity in his still amused expression.

She narrowed her eyes at him and asked herself the rhetorical question of why she'd decided getting romantically involved with him had been a good idea. “I told you- no, _warned_ you about what was pretty much guaranteed to happen if Eve found out about us. You should've-” she waved one of her hands agitatedly in the air, “-you know, _reminded_ me about that! Or better yet, just... stopped me or something!”

“But I didn't want to,” he replied with a combination of faux innocence and blatant impishness that should've been impossible to pull off and yet he'd managed it anyway. “Because, as I've already said, I _really_ like kissing you.”

“Repeating that isn't going to make me any less mad at you no matter how I might feel about it!” she almost yelled at him before remembering that they were still in a public space. “Do you just not care how much havoc Eve is going to wreak on our lives now?!”

He shrugged nonchalantly and took another leisurely sip of his wine, smirk still firmly in place, and she got the sense he was doing all this just to annoy her. “She's _your_ best friend, not mine, so...”

“Newsflash, genius,” she bit out, “we're here right now because she's getting married to _your_ best friend so you're not that much better off than me.”

That wiped the smirk off Mike's face although Kara didn't get the chance to fully appreciate her victory because, as if being spoken about had summoned her just like the devil himself, that was the moment Eve appeared out of nowhere and sat down across from them.

“Hello, you two.” With her hands steepled, her elbows resting on the table and her lips curved into a borderline diabolical smile, Eve looked like the quintessential Bond villain. “I have questions.”

Mike swallowed audibly and attempted to escape. “Uh, I think I hear Winn-”

In an instant, the smile vanished from Eve's face to be replaced by an expression that promised hellish retribution if her next command was ignored and the temperature of the air around them dropped by several degrees. “ _Sit. Down._ ”

He obeyed immediately, and just like that Eve was smiling again.

“Now, where was I? Oh yes.” It shouldn't have been humanly possible but Eve's smile somehow widened. “So let's begin with the natural first question: When did this-” she pointed at the both of them in turn, “-start?”

Aware that there was no way out of their predicament except to give Eve everything she wanted until she was satisfied, Kara slumped in her chair and accepted her fate. “...The dance lesson.”

Eve's cackling was so terrifying that the rehearsal dinner guests within earshot turned to stare at her and if she had been auditioning for the role of a witch, she would've gotten it hands down. “ _I knew it!_ I knew all the two of you needed was a push and that would be the ticket! And Winn dared to tell me it wouldn't work! Can you believe he doubted me – _me, the woman he's marrying!_ – when I said the two of you would be perfect together? But enough about that,” she cut herself off before Kara could even try to form a reply, “tell me how everything's been going so far. And I want details.”

A strangled noise escaped Kara while Mike coughed awkwardly. “ _E-Excuse me?!_ ” she finally managed to squeak after several failed attempts to regain her voice.

“Okay, fine, be stingy with the details,” Eve huffed like an indignant child, acting for all the world as if she was doing them a great favour by not prying. “This is how you repay me for setting the two of you up...”

“You mean you _meddled_ ,” Kara fired back, the heat in her voice matched by the one making her face resemble a tomato. “We were doing fine without you.”

Eve let out an unladylike snort. “Sure, if you call all that blatant flirting, unresolved sexual tension and dancing around each other endlessly 'doing fine'. I love you, Kara, but admit it; you probably wouldn't have made a move unless I'd given you that shove.”

Mike wisely kept quiet, having come to the conclusion that his chances of survival would remain high if he didn't do anything to attract any attention to himself. (If Kara wasn't so focused on her own survival, she would probably have ground her heel into his foot for his failure to help.)

“I'm not going to respond to that,” was all Kara allowed herself to say through gritted teeth.

“I figured you wouldn't,” Eve sighed dramatically before her expression suddenly became uncharacteristically serious. “But there's really only one question I absolutely need answered: Are the two of you happy together?”

The question caused Kara to look Mike's way only to find him looking right back at her, a mixture of surprise and quiet trepidation playing on his features.

“I...” she floundered, too caught by surprise to form a coherent reply.

Then she remembered how he looked after every time he kissed her, cooked for her, just lied in bed with her... and how she felt every time he did any and all of those things.

And just like that, she had her answer.

“I am,” she answered confidently while still locking gazes with him and was rewarded with the sight of pure joy lighting up his features and highlighting the blue in those eyes she loved so much.

“So am I,” he said more to her than Eve.

Eve's dreamy sigh drew them out of their little moment and they turned back to find her looking at them with a blissful smile on her lips. “It's like I'm watching a romantic comedy that I produced myself...” Then her smile turned sinister again and a dangerous gleam appeared in her eyes. “I trust that since Winn and I made you two our best man and maid of honour respectively, you'll return the favour when the two of you get married?”

As one, Kara and Mike blanched.


	19. the valenteen villain tradition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested By: darknessfalls1321
> 
> Prompt: "What if Mon-El’s supposed latchmate is actually not dead and shows up?"
> 
> Notes: I hope you don't mind that I added a little Valentine's Day flavour to your prompt because I realised the timing lined up perfectly, haha. On that note, Happy Day of the Valenteen everyone!

For the first couple of weeks after the Daxamite ship carrying Mon-El's parents fly off to Rao knows where, Kara waits with bated breath for the other shoe to drop. She's always been an optimist but there's just been too many disruptions to her love life especially considering how new said love life still is that she thinks she's allowed to be a little paranoid. After all, Rhea's already gone to extreme lengths once to get her son back; what's stopping her from trying again when everyone has dropped their guard?

Worry keeps her vigilant, and she even goes so far as to badger Winn into setting up a system that regularly scans Earth's immediate space environment for any visitors. It's easy enough to get J'onn on board since it helps the DEO do its job in general but they both know the real reason she wants it and he's kind enough not to say it out loud. (Alex, on the other hand, doesn't hesitate to get a few digs in about overbearing mothers-in-law which Kara pointedly ignores for a multitude of reasons.)

Days pass and then weeks. Nothing pings on the radar except for a few small spaceships carrying either refugees or, somewhat bizarrely, intergalactic tourists. In particular, there is a distinct lack of sinister-looking Daxamite warships bearing the imperial crest of the royal family which is the most reassuring sign of all.

When the year ends without any major incidents, Kara allows herself to fully let go of her worries and the kiss she gives Mon-El when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve reflects it.

For the entirety of January, she's a boundless ball of infinite happiness to the point that even Winn starts making jokes about her resembling a mini sun.

Then the calendar flips over to February and she starts getting wary of what the universe might have planned for her next even as her mind and heart zero in on a specific date:

Valentine's Day.

Or, in the context of her relationship with Mon-El, their one-year anniversary as a couple.

Last year, trouble had arrived in the form of an irritatingly persistent fifth dimension imp with an unhealthy obsession with her and for some reason, she gets the niggling sense this year won't be peaceful either.

Not that it matters. Whatever might happen, she's going to deal with it as quickly as possible because she is absolutely _not_ going to let it ruin this special day for them. While Mon-El is busy planning, in his own words, 'the most romantic Day of the Valenteen ever', she prepares for every possible contingency including but not limited to a way to deal with Mxy if he somehow shows up again. (Non-lethal, of course... but she can't promise it won't hurt just a little.)

As such, by the time it's the eve of Valentine's Day she's regained most of her optimism and looking forward to celebrating the occasion with her boyfriend.

Of course, that's pretty much when a Daxamite ship materialises right over National City.

“I seek an audience with Mon-El of Daxam,” a mechanically distorted but still feminine-sounding voice announces in a way that doesn't really suggest it's a polite request.

Kara stares blankly at the ship before aiming her accusatory glare at Winn who realises his life might be in imminent danger. “The system's doing its daily maintenance, okay?! How was I supposed to know someone was going to show up just when it happened to be down?!” he yelps with his arms held up in a useless attempt to shield his head.

“Then maybe you should've had some kind of backup in place,” she growls before deciding to focus on the bigger issue at hand and turning her still stony gaze towards Mon-El. “Do you have any idea who that might be?”

He shakes his head even as he keeps squinting at the ship, too focused to notice her simmering ire. “The voice doesn't sound familiar and I don't see any crests anywhere.”

In other words, all of them are going in blind this time... and since she doubts their latest unwanted guest is going to take 'no' for an answer, there's only one thing she can do even if she hates it.

“Come out of your ship if you want to meet him,” she yells out with her arms crossed authoritatively in front of her as she hovers in front of the ship's main bridge window. “You will not be harmed as long as you show that you mean no harm yourself.”

“Don't presume to give me orders, Kryptonian,” the still unknown woman snaps back but continues speaking before Kara can reconsider her pragmatic decision not to try and throw the ship back out into space. “But for the sake of my goal, I will agree to your terms. Show me where I am to teleport myself and my entourage.”

Teeth grinding, Kara points to the DEO balcony below. “Down there,” she forces herself to spit out. Maybe it's just some kind of extremely insistent courtesy call and once this woman has said whatever she's come to say to Mon-El, she's going to leave and never so much as look back.

Naturally, she's wrong. In the worst possible way.

“My name is Niv Senz, firstborn daughter of Daxam's noble house of Senz,” the woman who happens to look like a Greek goddess in the flesh introduces herself with an air of unparalleled haughtiness, “and I am here to claim Prince Mon-El as my latchmate as dictated by the laws of our people.”

“ _What?!_ ” Kara practically screeches.

“Uh, what?” Mon-El echoes dumbly only to start when Kara whirls around to glare daggers at him. “I swear I don't even remember her, not to mention that I was supposed to get latched to her!”

“ _What do you mean you don't remember me?!_ ” Niv Senz screeches before she collects herself and tries to pretend her outburst had never happened. “It matters not. I was informed by Her Majesty Queen Rhea that I am meant to be latched to His Highness as well as his current location and I am here to ensure our traditions are adhered to.”

Rhea. Of course. Kara suspects that if she concentrates hard enough, she'll be able to hear the woman's borderline evil laughter ringing throughout the universe. “Well too bad because I'm pretty sure I speak for him when I say he's not interested-” she shoots a glare in Mon-El's direction and he nods vigorously at that, “-so we'd all appreciate it if you just go away now.”

Niv Senz sticks her nose up in the air at that, and Kara just knows the woman did it just so she can literally look down on her. “Her Majesty told me of his ill-advised... _dalliance_... with you and I'm sure that he will see my superiority as a mate after we've been latched and left this galaxy far behind us.”

If she grinds her teeth any more, Kara's sure they're going to turn into dust. “As if I'm going to let either of those things happen! Mon-El's staying right here and he most certainly isn't getting married to the likes of _you_!”

(“Is this what being at the centre of a love triangle is actually like in real life?” Mon-El whispers to Alex as he watches the heated exchange play out with wary eyes. “Because it's frankly terrifying and nothing like how it is in your television shows.”)

“I had hoped to avoid a confrontation of any kind but Her Majesty warned me this might happen so I came prepared.” The smile that spreads across Niv Senz's face reminds Kara unpleasantly of Rhea which is rather appropriate given the circumstances. “I challenge you, Kara Zor-El of Krypton, to a game of speed kur'nlik with the prize being the right to become Mon-El's latchmate.”

“Deal,” Kara bites out without a second thought, so incensed she doesn't even react to the fact that agreeing to this is tantamount to indirectly proposing to her boyfriend. Not even the distant realisation that absolutely no one at the DEO is even trying to pretend they're not avidly watching the showdown cools her temper.

“Wait, don't I get a say in this?” Mon-El protests only to be completely ignored. “Kara, you don't even know what kur'nlik is, much less how to play it!”

“I'll figure it out as I go along,” she fires back dismissively as she watches one of Niv Senz's servants get teleported back to the ship. He returns a few seconds later with a large digital board and a stand that he sets up between the two women. At the flick of a switch on its side, the board lights up and holograms of two miniature armies appear on both sides. Okay, so it's like chess. She can totally win a game of Daxamite chess without breaking a sweat and send this... this... _hopeful boyfriend-stealer_ packing.

Five minutes later, it becomes clear to her that kur'nlik is _not_ , in fact, anything like chess.

“Give it up, Kryptonian,” Niv Senz gloats in a way that only obscenely rich noblewomen can as she eyes the pathetic remains of Kara's holographic army. “Mon-El will be my latchmate and it'll be me who becomes the next queen of Daxam, not you!”

“Hold up, is _that_ what this is all about?” Mon-El exclaims in bewilderment, having been snapped out of his stress-induced stupor at Niv Senz's declaration. “Didn't my mother tell you I abdicated?”

Silence.

“YOU _WHAT_?!” Niv Senz screams so loudly even those present who don't have enhanced hearing are forced to clap their hands over their ears.

“...I abdicated...?” he repeats slowly, even more confused than before and fearing for his life just a little in a different way now. “As in I gave up my claim to the throne...?”

The expression on Niv Senz's face can only be described as 'apocalyptically livid'. “You mean I came all the way to this backwater planet-”

“ _Hey!_ ” Alex and Winn cry out in protest without much effect.

“-and forced myself to interact with this Kryptonian simpleton-”

“ _Hey!_ ” Kara rages at the insult except she too is summarily ignored.

“-for _nothing_?!” An unholy shriek escapes Niv Senz's lips before she spins on her heels and snaps her fingers. “Forget this! We're leaving!”

Stunned at the drastic turn of events, Kara can only watch along with everyone else as their unwanted guests teleport back to their ship which promptly vanishes into space. “...What just happened?”

“...I think you just won by forfeit,” Alex clarifies somewhat needlessly. “In which case... congratulations, I guess?”

“I guess so...” Kara mumbles, still struggling to come to grips with the events of the day.

A soft awkward cough snaps her out of her daze and she turns to find Mon-El eyeing her with a mixture of puppy-like adoration, puzzling apprehension and slivers of amusement. “...So... Does that mean you want to marry me?”

She flushes bright red, now all too aware that everyone in the DEO – even J'onn, to her utter mortification – has trained their full attention on her and are waiting for her response. “I-I-I just did all that because I didn't want her to take you away from me, okay?!”

“So you don't want to marry me then?” he asks, and while his tone and expression are teasing the apprehension in those blue-grey orbs seems just a little more prominent.

“W-Well, I mean... I don't _not_ want to marry you...” she stutters, feeling her cheeks burning to such an extent it's a wonder she hasn't burst into flames.

He laughs then, part playful and part delighted, before giving her a kiss that's definitely going to earn them another meeting with Pam from HR. She'll let this one instance slide though, considering what they just went through and narrowly avoided; he's still here (and not married to anyone else), they're still together (albeit not married... yet?) and the two of them might actually be able to celebrate the Day of the Valenteen without any further interruptions.

Still, she hopes Valentine's Day next year will be a little less eventful.

(One year later, National City is besieged by a flying army of gun-toting robot cupids unleashed by the Valentine's Day version of the Grinch from outer space.)

(But at least no one tries to force her or Mon-El to marry them which Kara figures is an acceptable improvement.)

**Author's Note:**

> Again, prompts/requests are welcome and will be written on a "first submitted, first written" basis.


End file.
